Deadly Intent
by Astraldust
Summary: An unwanted visitor from Earth brings total disputation to Atlantis, especially for Sheppard as his career and life are threatened. Shep whump.
1. Chapter 1

Deadly Intent

Summary:- An unwanted visitor from Earth brings total disputation to Atlantis, especially for Sheppard.

Spoiler:- Post season 5. Although there are a few references to past events.

Pairing:- John/Teyla

Rating:- T for mild adult content

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis and I still miss it even after all these years

Sorry no beta, but I did use Grammarly (Free vision) All other mistakes are mine.

This story follows two years after the events in Fragile Lives. You don't have to have read that story to understand this one. Here's a quick summary that I hope will help jog a few memories or explain things.

 _ **John's team come across a small town where all the inhabitants, except an infant, have died from a deadly and unknown plague. Even knowing the child was probably highly contagious, John risks his life to save it from drowning in a drain. The team call for help and are quarantined on the planet so as not to infect Atlantis. Rodney, Ronon and Teyla are in the clear, but John falls very ill, even though the infant he saved seems healthy. The doctors work hard to find a cure, but it seems hopeless until they accidentally find a natural antibiotic in connection to the Shari flowers that grow wild everywhere throughout Pegasus. Turns out the little girl John saved was a carrier. Despite that, the two become very close. Teyla had lost her partner Kanaan shortly after Atlantis had returned to Pegasus from Earth. Meaning there was nothing to stop John and Teyla from finally admitting their love for each other. Back on Atlantis, John recovers and they soon set up home together with Torren and the little girl whom they name Beth. Teyla leaves John's team to work for the Coalition. Rodney and Jennifer get married. Information from the Coalition leads to a child trafficking ring. John leads a team to put a stop to it once and for all. It turns out that Beth was sold by the traffickers to a couple on the plague planet. John and Teyla eventually find out that her real mom had died giving birth to her, so they end up adopting her. Not wanting to jump into marriage immediately, John and Teyla agree to wait until they feel the time is right for them.**_

Sorry, it took me so long to do the promised follow up. Between RL commitments and a good case of writer's block, I never got around to finishing it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story.

Deadly Intent

Chapter 1

Teyla smiled warmly as she watched her children happily playing with a small group of Athosian youngsters. Much laughter and squeals of delight accompanied their fun as they kicked a ball across the small, grassy playing area. The plastic soccer ball was one of many, Earth made ones, which John and others had provided over the years.

A few adults stood or sat on the edge of the field watching the young ones play. They talked quietly amongst themselves, seemingly relaxed and content with their lives. It warmed Teyla's heart to think that her people were once again settled and growing in numbers on their new planetary home of New Athos II. The small planet had been their home for a few years now. The days here were much longer than the planet they had occupied for a short time before Michael's abduction. The years were also longer than both New Athos and old Athos. However, this planet was not unlike their original home of Athos with lush forests, high mountains and inland waterways. At this location on the planet's largest landmass, the temperate climate made growing crops easy for most of the year. John and his people had systematically surveyed the planet, checking for problems and making sure it was safe before Teyla's people had moved here. Strangely, the planet contained no other human settlements or truly dangerous animals. There were signs that the planet had once been inhabited, but those people were long gone. Nobody knew where. Maybe the Wraith had taken them all a long time ago.

This particular location had also been chosen because there was a Stargate. The Ancients must have been here in the distant past as the address had been registered in the database on Atlantis, although for what purpose nobody knew? No hidden laboratory or the like had been found to date. Only when they had first tried to connect to the address, the wormhole had failed. As the planet had looked promising as a settlement or Alpha base, the Daedalus had taken a small science team, lead by Rodney, to investigate. It turned out that the Stargate had simply malfunctioned, so after Rodney's brilliance had fixed the problem they were able to connect. Nobody knew for sure how long the gate had been offline, but that could have also explained the lack of other human settlers.

The Stargate stood tall and imposing, just a short distance from the playing field. Teyla glanced towards it every now and again, wondering when Halling would return from his trading trip, as she wished to speak to him before returning to Atlantis. She had been a little disappointed when she'd arrived a few hours ago to find that Halling wasn't on the planet. It was her own fault really as she should have said something before turning up unexpectedly. Although she had something important to discuss with him, she supposed it could wait for another day. However, she really didn't want to delay the matter for too long.

According to Jinto, his father should be back anytime soon. So maybe, she could wait a little longer. Teyla turned to look at the young man in question now fully grown and nearly as tall as his father. His face no longer bore the innocence of childhood. That was understandable after the things he had witnessed during his short life, like the scars Michael had left upon their people. Thankfully, as the years went by, they had begun to fade. If only a little.

"Are you sure your father will be here soon?" Teyla asked once again. She was anxious to get back home as it would soon be the children's bedtime. At least according to their Atlantis routine. Here on New Athos II it was just after midday. Her two lively four-year-olds didn't seem to be all that tired at the moment, so maybe it didn't matter if they were a little late getting back.

Before Jinto could reply, the Stargate began to spring to life. Instinctively, everyone moved away from the open spaces just in case it wasn't one of theirs or a friendly coming through. Old habits die hard. As the mothers gather up their children, Torren and Beth came running to join Teyla.

"Is that Daddy?" Beth cried out.

Teyla sighed with a smile, she always wanted her daddy. Torren too for that matter, but he was more attached to her. He accepted John's absence from time to time far easier than Beth ever did, although she was getting better at letting her father go off on his necessary away missions. "No Beth, we will be returning to Atlantis soon. Your daddy should be back from his mission when we arrive." At least she hoped so.

The final chevron engaged. Then thankfully, Halling with several others emerged from the event horizon. He looked their way and hurried towards them giving his son a warm smile. "Teyla, what a pleasant surprise. Had I known, I would have returned home earlier?" he called out upon reaching them.

They exchanged the usual Athosian greeting by touching foreheads before Teyla replied. "And I should have let you know we were coming. I had a few hours to spare from my duties. And as I have some important news to share with you, I thought I would come and visit."

Halling looked thoughtful. "Come then and join us for some tea. I am thirsty and by the looks of things, so are the young ones."

Torren looked up at the big man towering over him. A little doubtful frown crossed his face. "Not tea," he pleaded. Beth vigorously nodded in agreement.

Jinto laughed at their concern, knowing they didn't like Athosian herbal tea. "Do not worry I have some of that homemade, sweet berry juice that you like so much." The children nodded enthusiastically. It was one of their favourites whenever they visited Momma's people.

Teyla smiled at their reaction before turning to address Halling. "That would be lovely, although we cannot stay too long as it is already evening on Atlantis. John should be home from his mission, and the children will wish to spend time with him before they go to bed."

Halling bowed his head slightly. "Yes, of course. Where did his team go to this time?" he asked as they started to walk towards the settlement. Not that it was any of his business.

"M5L 662 for a simple trade mission. It was not originally planned for John's team, but Mr Woolsey changed his mind, as he thought it would be a show of good faith if they went. Rodney was not pleased as the planet is mainly covered with great oceans and jungles. As such they could not use a jumper as apparently, the Stargate's location is on the coast and the settlement is surrounded by thick forest."

Halling looked thoughtful. "And the settlement is near the Gate?"

"According to our contact, it is located further along the coast about a thirty-minute walk using a coast pathway."

"Do you still miss being on Sheppard's team?"

Teyla stopped and turned to look at Halling while Jinto carried on with the children in tow. "There are days when I miss being with them greatly, but I am content with my work for the Coalition and caring for the children."

Halling nodded. "That is good to hear. And has Sheppard found a suitable replacement for you at last?"

Teyla started to move off again. She thought of the people that had come and gone from John's team over the last two years. Five in all, rejected for one reason or another. Unfortunately, one had been killed on his third mission, due to no fault of John's. Although John had blamed himself at the time. "Lieutenant James Becket seems to have settled in well. I believe he will stay a good choice. John was hoping to give him his own team. However, the Lieutenant now seems quite content to be on SGA1."

"Yes, he does seem to be a capable young warrior," Halling said nothing more as he led her into the tent he shared with his son.

The cool interior of the abode was a welcome relief from the hot midday sun. Jinto went about giving the children some juice while Halling brewed some of the refreshing tea. The big man glanced at Teyla and smiled. She looked so very content and happy these days. Radiant even. It pleased him to see it. She had put her sorrow far behind her. She now fully embraced the life she had with John Sheppard and the children.

"You are looking well," he commented as he handed her the tea.

"I am very happy, Halling. I hope my news will please the people," Teyla paused and looked to where the children now played quietly with some toy bricks while Jinto kept an eye on them. "John and I feel that after two Earth years together the time is right to be joined in a ceremony of union commitment. We wish for it to be here on New Athos II. It will also include some elements of an Earth marriage as John wishes for our union to be recognised by his people. Mr Woolsey has already agreed to officiate at that part of the ceremony."

Halling became reflective and serious, but Teyla wasn't worried as she knew that was his way of doing things. Eventually, his face broke out into a huge smile, and Teyla breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she didn't need his permission to commit to John, it gratified her to have his blessing. "Teyla, it pleases me greatly to hear that. John Sheppard has brought the light back into your eyes to shine even brighter than it ever did. The Colonel is a good man, and I know he will care for you and the young ones for as long as you both may live."

Teyla returned his smile and began to outline her plans for the ceremony to be held at a time yet to be decided upon.

oOo

Returning to Atlantis an hour or so later, Teyla was disappointed to find the gate room unusually quiet. There was no sign of John or his team. Then she saw Mr Woolsey move quickly out of his office to descend the central stairway. He wore a deadly serious and pensive expression on his face. Teyla's heart began to pound as she was sure he was coming to tell her that something bad had happened. Holding the children firmly by the hand, she waited for him to join them.

"I'm so sorry," Woolsey told her as he stopped a few paces away, "There's been an accident. You'd better go to the infirmary."

Teyla's heartbeat quickened its pace even faster. _John._ Something had happened to him. Teyla just knew it. For two years now he had done his best to stay out of trouble. Just a few injuries had been added to his list, the worst being a stab wound when a Toriso gang member had tried to take him down.

"What happened?" she quietly asked around the lump in her throat.

Woolsey looked vague. "I haven't had any news yet. They brought the Colonel in by jumper an hour or so ago. He was immediately transferred to the infirmary where I understand Doctors Beckett and Keller are currently working on him. I think it's best if you get the full details from Doctor McKay and Ronon."

Teyla simply nodded and quickly led the children firmly by the hand. She needed to find Amiera or someone to look after them before going to see what John had done to himself now.

Beth struggled, upset as she sensed her mother's worry. However, it was Torren who spoke out. "What's happened, Momma?"

"I do not know, Torren. You and Beth will have to stay with Amiera while I go to the infirmary."

Beth suddenly stopped in her tracks and refused to go any further. "I want to go and see my Daddy," she wailed.

Teyla bent down and hugged both children. "I need you both to be strong for me. Once I know what is wrong with daddy, I will come and get you. All right?" The children didn't look happy, but they nodded and allowed Teyla to lead them on.

Thankfully, Amiera was in her quarters and willingly took the children in hand. She didn't seem to know what was going on either, leaving Teyla hopeful that it was nothing too serious.

She arrived in the infirmary waiting area to find Ronon pacing, Lieutenant Becket leaning against a wall, looking nervous, and Rodney slumped in a chair, looking positively glum. Teyla's heart had settled down a bit on the way, but as Ronon moved to hold her, she felt it begin to pound again. "What?" she managed to get out.

Rodney got up and also moved to her side. "He fell down a cliff after a mad, wild cat-like creature leapt out of nowhere and attacked him. It all happened so quickly. We didn't hesitate to try and pull the creature off him. Then Sheppard somehow managed to get himself free. Only before he could crawl away from the edge, the ground just caved beneath him. The path was pretty narrow at that point, I guess his added weight was enough to make it crumble away. Ronon tried desperately to catch him, and I know Sheppard made an effort to stop his inevitable fall but…." For a few seconds, Rodney couldn't say any more. "By that time, the creature had run off. We tried to get down to Sheppard." Rodney shook his head. "It proved impossible because of loose stones and dirt on the cliff face. James had already gone to call for help because Sheppard would obviously need medical attention if he was still alive. We stayed up on the cliff while we waited, although Conan here tried to make several more attempts to climb down. They quickly bought a Jumper through the Stargate. The rescue took a while and proved a little tricky due to encroaching waves on a very narrow beach. Lorne managed to land and get an evacuation team to him. It didn't take long to get him into the Jumper. They couldn't land to pick us up, so we didn't get to look at him before they left. They told us John was still alive, but in a bad way. Broken legs, arms, back, nobody knew for sure. Only that Carson and Jennifer have had him in surgery now for hours. There's still no word. I'm so sorry."

Ronon disagreed. "Hardly hours, McKay."

"Alright. Maybe a couple or so, although it feels like much more."

Teyla felt tears spring to her eyes. She couldn't lose John. She just couldn't. He had to be okay. Gathering her strength, she nodded in understanding. If only she hadn't delayed her return from New Athos II, then she would have been there for him. Of course, that wouldn't have changed anything. He still would be severely injured.

She suddenly felt light-headed as if all the blood had drained from her head. The room began to spin alarmingly. Teyla tried to move, to quickly sit down. She never made it as darkness reached out to claim her.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Deadly Intent

Chapter 2

The soft murmur of voices drifted into his senses as John slowly surfaced to the reality of still breathing. He wasn't sure exactly where he was? Although by the feel of it, the ground beneath his body was smooth, warm and surprisingly comfortable. Other senses began to slowly kick in and a moment later, the smell of antiseptic wafted up his nose. _No longer on a beach then._ They certainly don't smell like a hospital and waves don't beep. Obviously he'd been rescued and ended up in the infirmary.

When he thought about it, he really hadn't expected to survive such a fall. He couldn't recall much, apart from the sensation of free-fall and a very sharp pain when he had hit the soft, sandy ground. After that, he must have lost consciousness pretty fast.

He appeared to be lying flat on his back. When he opened his eyes just a little, John could see his leg was slightly raised. Wondering why that was and wanting some answers, John turned his head as much as he could over the pain and stiffness the action caused him. He was greeted by a pair of bright, brown eyes under a mop of golden hair.

"Daddy's awake!"

A shuffle of feet and a softly accented voice followed the shrill cry of the child. "Oh…Beth, your daddy's not deaf, but he soon will be if ya shout like that."

John heard a quietly spoken 'sorry' after Carson's comment. A small smile formed on his lips as he focused on his daughter's sweet face. "That's my girl," he whispered, before moving his eyes to focus on the doctor. "What happened?"

"A huge, ferocious wild cat attacked you, then you fell down a cliff, is what happened." Rodney's voice sounded from a place John couldn't quite make out due to his horizontal position.

"I did. I can't really…?" John's softly spoken reply was suddenly interrupted by a very loud wail. "What's that?"

"What's that?" Rodney managed to sound highly indignant with just two words. "That's my son. Remember the baby Jennifer gave birth to a few weeks back."

"Yeah, I remember. It's just…why, why's he in the infirmary? Is he sick?"

"Peter is fine. I'm looking after him because Jennifer is resting after assisting Carson in patching you up. I might add, it took them the whole night." Rodney grumbled.

"I like seeing Uncle Rodney's baby." A little voice piped up. "You're the one who's sick, daddy. Uncle Carson says you've got lots of hurt things."

At the mention of being sick, John found himself gulping hard against growing nausea in his stomach. Damn anaesthetic, he always felt so sick afterwards. Carson must have noticed his discomfort and quickly injected something into his I.V port. The feeling eased a few minutes later and John was able to answer his daughter. "So it seems, sweetheart."

Because he still couldn't recall the events surrounding his fall, he didn't know the exact extent of his injuries. It was all so very vague. He didn't feel any real pain. Just slightly woozy, which was probably caused by the meds he was on? _But where the heck was Teyla?_ _Was she resting up, too?_ He'd ask in a moment. First of all, he wanted to know how badly injured he was. "So…what's the damage report? And is it possible to sit up, just a little? Then maybe I'd feel a bit more with it. Right now, I feel kind of…loopy."

Carson grabbed a chair to come down to John's level. He promptly sat Beth on his knee. She gazed at her daddy and kept perfectly still, for once, as Carson began to explain. "No doubt the meds are making you feel like that, but you did have a nasty bang to the back of your head. We've already put you through the scanner. Everything seemed okay. No fractures or the like. I'd like to do it again though now that you're conscious. It's just to be doubly sure there's no lasting damage to your spine or skull. You also bruised your back quite badly. I'll also be testing your ability to move your toes and your sense of touch."

John went cold for a minute. _What if he had damaged his spine?_ However, he didn't get a chance to voice his concern before Carson continued. "Your main injury is a fracture of the right tibia. The leg was broken in several places and we had to realign the bone with internal pins. Hence the need to operate, which despite Rodney's comment, did not last the whole night long. Your leg should heal just fine, barring no complications. The other injuries include a badly dislocated right shoulder and severe bruising of your right arm. Your left-hand has several deep lacerations along with a couple of broken fingers. Then there are deep claw marks across your chest, arms, and neck. All in all, not a very pretty picture. You'll be on pain meds and antibiotics of a while, as we don't want a repeat of that Flux illness from a few years back. You can sit up once I'm satisfied that all is well with your spine."

John shuddered at his latest near-death experience and the long list of injuries that went with it. He dreaded to think how long he would be out of commission. He asked the inevitable question, anyway, "So how long until the fracture heals?"

"As you're in good health, we're looking at about eleven weeks."

"What. I can't be off duty for that long." Although John had made an effort to speak louder, his words came out sounding rather croaky.

Carson noted his distress and locked eyes with him. "I'm so sorry, John, but there's nothing I can do about that. Once your other injuries have healed sufficiently, I see no reason why you can't be on light duty. No matter how long it takes, the main thing is, against all odds you managed to survive. That in itself is a miracle considering how close those claws came to puncturing your carotid artery." John slowly nodded. Although, he still felt extremely distressed. Beth reached over to grab his hand. She understood enough to know how close she had come to losing her daddy forever.

Rodney moved around a bit so John could see him a little better. "He only survived because he landed on the very soft ground. You said so yourself, Carson. Had it been rocky ground, it would have been a completely different story. Mind you, we had to act fast as the tide was coming in. Otherwise, you would have been swept out to sea." Rodney commented. His concern showing as he rocked his baby son to keep him quiet.

John swallowed hard, realising how close he'd come to calling it a day. All because of a damn cat creature it seemed. "My guardian angel had its work cut out for it this time then," he tried to joke. Nobody reacted. "So I beat the odds again, huh," he quietly added. Once again there were no acknowledgements. After an awkward pause, John tried to look around, but that hurt his neck too much. "Where's Teyla?"

"Still sleeping on a bed the other side of the infirmary," Carson answered. "She had a little fainting turn yesterday evening, so we've kept her in for tests and observation. It's nothing to worry about I'm sure. I'm letting her have a good sleep at the moment as she had a fitful night worrying about you. All seems well. Although, I'm waiting for a few test results to come in just to make sure."

Despite Carson's reassurance, John fretted over the news of Teyla's collapse. Normally, she was a rock and usually coped with events very calmly. "Please run that scan now. Then hopefully, I can sit up. I want to feel a little more alert by the time Teyla wakes up, and her test results come in."

"Aye well, I was planning to do that any, so let's get your bed over to the scanner." Carson moved Beth off his knee before standing up. "You can stay with Uncle Rodney and baby Peter for a little while, okay Beth?" She gave a quick nod and went to look at the baby.

As Carson and a nurse began to move his bed, John asked. "Where's Torren?"

"Amiera took him for a walk. He was getting a little testy with both his Momma and Daddy out for the count."

John nodded at that. Torren hated it whenever they were injured. Beth, on the other hand, seemed to take it all in her stride.

Thirty minutes later, John was wheeled back into his old position. The little trip had taken it out of him. It seemed the pain meds were wearing off because his injured leg began to hurt quite badly. He kept it to himself though as Carson readjusted the equipment and I.V's.

"There's no sign of a fracture to your vertebrae, and thankfully there's no cranial bleed, so we can safely sit you up a little. And I'm satisfied that the circulation in your right leg is good." He patted John on his uninjured shoulder. "Like I said it will take time, but you'll heal. Now I'm going to raise the bed a little. Then I'll give you some pain meds and a drink of water. Just tell me if it hurts too much."

It did hurt, although John was thankful to be sitting up a bit. Beth insisted on cuddling into him, which he allowed on his not quite so badly bruised left-hand side. Carson grumbled about it but decided to allow it for a short while. He quickly injected some pain medication into John's I.V as a nurse handed their patient some water

Jennifer arrived a few minutes later. She relieved Rodney of their son as he was beginning to fret somewhat once again. Thinking he could be hungry even though he'd only fed a few hours ago, she promptly sat in a vacant chair and began to breastfeed the little one. "It's good to see you alert, John," she remarked. "Is everything looking okay, Carson?"

"Aye, he managed to dodge the bullet once again."

"I don't remember much," John murmured, "It's slowly coming back now though because I do remember a mound of fur coming at me from out of nowhere."

"Oh, believe me, it was a mound of very angry fur," Rodney added. "Must have taken an objection to your hair or something."

John snorted at Rodney's attempt to joke, which caused him to choke a little when some water went down the wrong way. Getting it under control, he blinked to clear his eyes. Even though he was sitting up, he still felt somewhat droopy or it could be the pain meds kicking in. Either way, he tried very hard to stay focused on the people around him. "Maybe it didn't like the sound of your complaining," he murmured to Rodney. "If I remember rightly you were going on and on about something."

"Was not." Rodney defended. Then he remembered that he had grumbled quite a bit about having to walk along a very narrow cliff path in order to get back to the Stargate.

At that point, Jennifer finished trying to feed the fussing baby. He didn't seem all that hungry after all. She handed him back to McKay, effectively ending anything more her husband might have said. The baby promptly burped and a tiny bit of milk landed on Rodney's shoulder. He screwed up his face and quickly left, murmuring something about having to clean up the mess his son had just made.

"You can also change his diaper while you're at it!" Jennifer called after him. Rodney muttered something unintelligible before entering the nearest bathroom.

There were a few smiles as John mumbled sleepily. "I think you've just found the perfect way to keep him quiet, Jennifer."

She nodded. "So it would seem. Now I'm going to check on Teyla, and you are going to take forty winks. When you wake again, I'm sure Teyla will be up and about."

John didn't really want to sleep, and he tried hard to fight it, but he knew Jennifer was right. He closed his eyes for just a minute and never felt it when Beth was plucked off the bed by her Uncle Ronon.

oOo

Teyla woke to find Jennifer sitting by her bed with Peter held closely in her arms. The young doctor wore a small smile as she softly cooed to her son. She immediately looked up when she noticed Teyla's open eyes. "You're awake at last. How are you feeling?"

Teyla swallowed hard before reality hit home. "John?"

Jennifer's smile broadened. "It will take time, but we're confident he'll make a full recovery. He was awake earlier. He's sleeping like a baby right now."

Teyla felt relieved and disappointed at the same time, as she longed to speak to him again just to reassure herself. However, she allowed herself to relax and assess her own feelings before finally giving an answer to Jennifer's earlier question. "I feel well and relieved that John will be too. I really do not know why I passed out?"

Jennifer looked thoughtful. "I think it was a combination of worry for John, combined with tiredness and something we found in your test results, which I'll tell you about in a minute." Teyla threw her a concerned look as Jennifer patted her hand. "Oh, it's nothing to worry about."

oOo

John woke sometime later to the wonderful sight of Teyla's smiling face just a short distance from his. She looked well and rested as she leant forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I could kill you for giving me such a scare," she murmured into his ear.

"Sorry, didn't mean to. You gave me a scare too, you know."

"It is nothing to worry about. We will talk about it in a minute. As to the scare you gave me, I will forgive you this time as it seems the matter was totally out of your control." John nodded. He asked her to adjust the bed so he could sit up a little more.

John now recalled a few more things, but his memory was still a little foggy concerning events following the sickening thud and sharp pain of his heavy landing. He vaguely remembered trying in vain to stop his fall by grabbing onto some vegetation that grew out of the cliff. That's probably when he broke some fingers.

It was unimportant, so he decided not to tell Teyla that at the moment. Instead, he murmured. "Animals can be so totally unpredictable. Maybe the creature instinctively knew I don't like cats. Although from the way McKay tells it, anyone would think it was the size of a Bengal tiger. In actual fact, if I recall rightly, it was no bigger than a bobcat." When Teyla looked a little confused, John suddenly realised that she wouldn't know what he was referring to. "Okay, it was about the size of that dog like creature the Sasidan people use for hunting."

"And they can also be extremely aggressive," Teyla added.

"Agreed, but believe me if it had been a Bengal tiger, then I wouldn't be laying here having this conversation." Seeing Teyla's look of distress, John quickly added. "It wasn't my fault the Ancients in their wisdom decided to place a Stargate on top of a cliff. Mind you, I remember Rodney saying that he reckoned coastal erosion may have affected its position over thousands of years, making it closer to the sea than it originally was. Because of the dense forests, we had to walk along a very narrow coastal path in order to get to and from the main village. The natives used that route themselves as it's the shortest. Otherwise, it's a day's hike through a forest to circumnavigate a mountain. They did warn us about being on the lookout for wild animals. We were being extra alert when the cat just leapt out of a tree and onto me. I remember losing my balance and the next thing I knew, I was dangerously close to the precipice as I tried to fend it off…then just as I managed to push the creature away, the ground crumbled beneath me. I recall trying to grab hold of the edge, but never managed it before my hands slipped and I was in free-fall. I distinctly remember the awful thud of landing, horrible pain shooting up my leg and then fading into nothingness as I lost consciousness. I honestly thought that was it."

"Thank the Ancestors it was not."

"Yeah. I guess I was lucky that that particular stretch of the cliff was not quite so high and far less rocky than some of the other places were. Also, the beach below was mainly made up of muddy sand. And it happened fairly close to the Stargate, so I guess they were able to call for help real fast. Otherwise, according to Rodney, I might have been swept out to sea as apparently, the tide was coming in." John stopped then to look at her with deep concern. "That's enough about me. What about you? Why did you pass out? What do the docs say about those tests?"

TBC

 _Author's note :_

 _Thanks for the lovely reviews, favourites and alerts. They were must welcome._

 _Thank you also to the two positive guest reviews, sorry I can't thank you in private messaging._

 _As for the other guest review, your words were positively cruel considering the amount of time and effort I put into the story. I don't know how you can be so judgemental after only the opening chapter. It's like judging a book by its cover. Enough said as you probably won't read this anyway._


	3. Chapter 3

Deadly Intent

Chapter 3

 _Why did you pass out?_ _What do the docs say about those tests?_

Teyla looked into his concerned eyes as John's questions echoed around her head. She gently reached out for his good hand and held it between hers. Her face lit up as she reassured him. "Oh, John, do not be concerned. Jennifer said it was a combination of worry, tiredness and…we are to have a new addition to the family in approximately seven and a half months."

It took him a minute or so the process that information. When he did, his mouth dropped open at the realisation. "You're…you're pregnant?"

"Yes, John, I am pregnant. That is what having a new addition means."

The biggest smile Teyla had ever seen formed on John's face as he answered. "Yeah, I knew that. Is everything okay?" Teyla nodded as John felt unaccustomed tears water his eyes. This time his reaction to the news of her pregnancy was so very different. He didn't feel crushing disappointment or shock like the last time she had uttered those words. Okay, maybe a little surprised. They had talked about having a child together, but John had been unaware that Teyla had taken matters into her own hands and stopped using protection. On the other hand, they were both not getting any younger. Whatever, it was the best news ever and if he could have gotten up, he would have jumped for joy. Instead, he pulled her down for a long and lingering kiss on the lips this time. He was already a dad to both Torren John and Beth through adoption, and he loved them both equally. Torren's father had been Teyla's partner Kanaan before he'd been brutally killed during an off-world trading trip. John had rescued Beth from a plague invested town only to be struck down himself. He had only survived because of his stubborn will and the discovery of a healing plant, which the brilliant doctors of Atlantis had been able to turn it into a useful cure. Indeed, John knew for sure that his love for the children would never change, but the thought of a child of his own blood filled him with untold joy. The new baby would complete his little family who had become so very, very important to him. The family he had thought he would never have.

A sudden shudder went through him at the thought of how close he'd come to losing it all. Maybe at forty-three, it was time to take on fewer dangerous off-world missions. At least ones that put him directly on the line. Yet what was the use of that when an incident like the animal attack came out of the blue. It was probably just one of those things. Anyway, it now seemed that for the foreseeable future he would be written off while his leg healed. He well remembered the time when both Colonel Carter and Major Lorne had broken their legs and the frustration they had gone through. John also thought about all the physiotherapy he would have to endure. He knew for sure that he would have full support and love from his family and friends. All the same, the very thought of being laid-up for weeks on end made him feel very frustrated already. Still, the main thing was, he had survived to give them the chance.

He held Teyla close in order to take his mind off that for a while. After a few minutes of silent comfort, he asked. "How did the arrangements go? I mean…we may have to delay the ceremony for a while, although I'd like to commit to you officially before the baby arrives."

Teyla smiled at him. "The talk with Halling went well. A short delay will not change anything as I am sure it will not take more than seven months for your leg to heal. However, we will wait until you are fit again as I do not wish to have to push you in a wheelchair into our wedding tent."

That lightened John's mood. His laugh shattered the quiet infirmary as he pulled her down for another kiss. "Yeah, we'll wait."

oOo

With typical determination, John strived to heal as quickly as possible. Over the weeks that followed he did absolutely everything the doctors advised, even using a wheelchair and crutches when getting around. His determination and compliance surprised both Carson and Jennifer as he normally wasn't quite so cooperative. However, in John's opinion, his quick recovery was imperative for two very separate reasons.

Firstly and most importantly his commitment ceremony to Teyla and secondly, his pending performance evaluation was coming up. Not that he was worried about the Air Force replacing him, but you never knew how the High Command might act. Despite gaining the rank of full bird colonel several years ago, he still had a few detractors back on Earth, including General Landry who had never really forgiven him for ignoring his orders back when Atlantis had been taken over by the Replicators. Although, the SGC commander wasn't any real danger as he had tolerated him for years now ever since Elizabeth had fought for his reinstatement as Military Commanding Officer after the Siege. The real threat came from a high commander who hated his guts and several I.O.A members who supported his opinion. John had been shocked when Woolsey had informed him that his former C.O. from his time in Afghanistan was now one of the top brass involved with Homeworld Security in Washington. In John's opinion, the man was an absolute idiot and should never have been assigned to such an important position. John often wondered how the man had managed to wangle his way to the top. Friends in high places he supposed.

Meaning, the whole broken leg business couldn't have come at a worse time.

Mulling over his thoughts, John took one last look at the rolling sea before getting up from the folding chair he'd been using to sit on. Planning on leaving, he turned away from the balcony railing. Although it was a beautiful evening and the stars still shone high above in a cloudless sky, the wind had picked up somewhat since he'd arrived to get some fresh air about forty minutes ago. Maybe a storm was on the way, he wasn't sure because no one had informed him otherwise. Why should they when his time was mainly taken up with healing and nothing else to do other than tedious paperwork. He was only on very limited light duty at the moment, and John was getting sorely frustrated by it. Sometimes his frustration came out as moodiness. So in order to spare Teyla and the children, he'd made the balcony trip a regular feature before turning in for the night.

Now he needed to go back and read a bedtime story to the kids before they slept. It was something they now expected of him since he was home most of the time. The quarters he shared with his family weren't that far off. He stared at his crutches leaning against the wall and scowled at their cumbersome design even though they were made of light aluminium tubing. He was just plain sick and tired of having to hobble around on them for what seemed like months now. Although it had been just nine weeks since his plunge down the cliff, in John's opinion the whole healing matter was taking far too long. To date, he had been a good boy and had used them religiously. His leg was still in a brace for support and the doctors had told him under no circumstance was he to put his full weight on it yet. He was going for daily physiotherapy and apparently his leg was healing well. The temptation to leave them behind was there, even knowing that Teyla would have his guts for garters if she found out. He was saved from making a bad choice when the balcony doors opened to reveal Richard Woolsey clutching a bottle of Scottish single malt and two glasses.

"Ah, they told me I would find you here," the leader of Atlantis called.

"Yep, taking my usual breath of fresh air before turning in for the night. What can I do for you, Richard?"

Their working relationship had grown over the four years Woolsey had been in charge and now they called each other by their first names when in private. Richard silently handed John a glass and poured a shot of whiskey knowing that the Colonel was no longer taking any form a medication, meaning he could partake. "Sit back down for a minute. We need to talk."

John did so, getting a bad feeling that he wasn't going to like what Richard was about to tell him. "Ok, give it to me straight."

Woolsey took a sip of his whiskey. "As you know the Daedalus is scheduled to arrive in four days. Colonel Caldwell contacted me privately as soon as the ship was in communication range. That was a few hours ago now. He wanted to warn me about three unwelcome guests he has onboard. It seems we're getting a visit from a Doctor Finnegan, a Doctor Ross, and General William H. Trumble."

John felt the blood drain from his face. It took him a minute to calm his heart and gather his thoughts. "And you weren't informed about this earlier?"

"No. I was told that the Daedalus would be bringing a few visitors from the SGC. I had no idea it would have any connection with your current situation." Richard sighed. "I'm sorry, John, but it would appear Dr Ross wants to do an independent assessment of your fitness for duty. I told Doctors Keller and Beckett about it before coming to see you and believe me they are up in arms. Keller assured me she did not report any indication that you would not make a full and complete recovery. She also said that you will be back on full active duty in a matter of weeks not months. Beckett assured the same."

"Yeah, I'm getting there. This is probably General Trumble's way of trying to get rid of me. Just get the independent doctor to assess and find me unfit, then I get ordered to take a full medical discharge."

Richard shook his head. "Not if I have anything to say about it. Otherwise, they will have a fight on their hands."

John took a healthy swig of whiskey. "Thanks. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

They talked some more before John hobbled away on his crutches to return to the family quarters. By the time he reached the door, his bad mood had turned even fouler. Deep down he knew this day could come, the day when someone tried to push him from the military command of Atlantis. It would have been bad enough if he'd still been unattached, but now he had a family to think of and he couldn't imagine being separated from them. Woolsey had assured him that even if the worst case scenario should happen, he would always have a place here on Atlantis. The only trouble with that, John honestly didn't think the Air Force would allow him to stay even as a civilian.

Thinking the door open, John entered the spacious living quarters to find Jennifer and Teyla sitting on the sofa talking quietly. Rodney and the children were nowhere to be seen.

At John's puzzled look, Teyla said. "Rodney is currently reading a bedtime story. Last time I checked everything was quiet, even Peter had fallen asleep in his father's arms." John snorted at the image of the man that now tolerated children. Boy, had Rodney changed. Teyla patted the sofa. "Come and sit down for a while. Jennifer wants to talk to you."

John did as requested, sitting down between the two women. Teyla took his hand as she could see how worried he looked. "We will get through this," she murmured.

"Yeah, but you don't know that damn man like I do."

Jennifer spoke up then. "There is no reason in the universe why you should be removed all because of a broken leg. I have written a full report outlining the facts with scans and other evidence to prove beyond a doubt that your leg is healing well. Your physiotherapist agrees wholeheartedly with my prognosis and has also signed the report along with Carson and Dr Cole."

John reached over and squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Jennifer, but he'll find another reason if he can, I just know it."

"Then we will just have to make sure he does not," Teyla said with determination.

John's mood lightened a little knowing that he had their love and support. He gave Teyla a warm hug and kiss. "I'm sure you will. Well, I'd better go and read to the kids." He was just about to get up when they came bounding out of their bedroom.

Rodney huffed behind them holding his son who was also wide awake. "I tried to stop them, but they heard your deep rumble, Sheppard. They said they won't go to sleep until you've read to them. I don't know what more they want? I've already read them several passages from my thesis on black holes and the theory of time distortion within the event horizon."

John looked shocked. "You never did?"

The children giggled and Torren said. "Oh daddy, Uncle Rodney is winding you around."

"No, no Torren, I'm trying to wind him up. That's the right way to say it." Rodney corrected the boy.

John rolled his eyes. "He's always trying to wind me up or push my buttons, but it works both ways."

"Oh no, mainly one way. This way," Rodney said, pointed to himself. "You do far more button pushing than I do. You always have."

John laughed, "Yeah, it's the only way to get you moving. So kids, what did he really read to you? Your favourite book? The one about the little red aeroplane that takes his animal friends on vacation?"

Beth moved over and cuddle into her daddy. "No, you have to read that one to us. That's your book because you can fly the red plane for real. Uncle Rodney read us a book about a big bright sun that makes everyone warm and happy."

John smiled at his daughter and nodded. For their age, both children could speak very well. They already had some tutoring, provided by a scientist named Angie Clarkson. She was kindly devoting some of her spare time to teaching the young ones. Although not exactly a qualified teacher, Angie was a strong believer in home tutoring and quite brilliant in her field of life sciences. Mr Woolsey had put in a request for a junior teacher/childminder to come to Atlantis, but so far nothing had been agreed upon as the I.O.A wasn't too keen to provide the service for just two children. Mr Woolsey had pointed out that the McKays son would need a teacher in a few years time, and it could well be that others would also eventually have children. Teyla also wanted an Athosian to teach the children about their culture and not just Earths. John had agreed. Though first of all, they needed to learn their numbers. Also, read and write in both English and Athosian. Thankfully they were bright kids and should be able to take it all in their stride.

John slowly got up and reached for his crutches. "Come on, kids, let's read you a story, then it will be time for bed."

Jennifer quickly stood up. "We'll be leaving now as Peter needs his bath and then it's bedtime for him, too."

After goodbyes and kisses from the children, the McKays went back to their quarters. Teyla was left alone as John and the children disappeared into their bedroom. It would take about twenty minutes or so before they settled and after that, she had every intention of asking John all about the dreaded general who was coming. She needed all the ammunition she could get to protect her man.

John eventually emerged from the children's bedroom. Teyla thought he looked a little brighter as he hobbled over. She patted the sofa and John quickly plonked himself down next to her. He gave her a lingering kiss before murmuring. "They always want that aeroplane story at least once a week."

"They love it like they love you, John." Teyla held his hand in hers and stared into his expressive eyes. "I know it may not be easy for you but please explain why this man hates you so? What did you do exactly to make him so antagonistic?"

John remained silent for a good few minutes, making Teyla think that he may not answer her. Eventually, he took a deep breath and said. "You know all about Holland, right?" Teyla nodded, "Well…okay, I…I think it's best if I start at the beginning." John looked away for a minute or so before turning back to face her. "I don't really need to go into military procedure fully, but I was assigned to special ops for a while. I undertook on some covert missions into enemy territory and it was during that time I got promoted from Captain to Major. It was a hectic time and I never knew when the next assignment would come and where it would take me. My then wife Nancy couldn't take it, so she turned to someone else for companionship. We…we ended up divorcing. Then ironically a while after that my special ops missions petered out. I was then given a tour of duty in Afghanistan with a helicopter division that ran search and extraction missions behind enemy lines. A couple of old buddies of mine Mitch and Dex were also assigned with me. We had a different C.O back then. He was ok. After the tour was over we went back to the states for R and R and after that, our unit was assigned a second tour in Afghanistan. We also became good friends with Captain Bill Holland during that time. Along with him, Mitch and Dex, we all had a distinct disliked for our new commanding officer, one Colonel William H. Trumble. In our opinion, he made too many bad choices that cost or nearly cost far too many lives. Sadly Mitch and Dex were killed halfway through the tour, so it was just me and Holland against that moron. Then one day Holland and his crew failed to return to base. They'd been shot down behind enemy lines. I wanted to mount a rescue operation quickly because of the possibility of injuries or capture. Trumble refused until he could coordinate a rescue mission with the Afghans, which would have taken hours. So I disobeyed orders and went alone. I lost a multi-million dollar helicopter and…I failed anyway. Holland's crew had died in the crash and when I found him, he was badly injured. He died on me before I could get him to safety. I was captured by the enemy, tortured and eventually had to be rescued. After recovering in the hospital for several weeks, I faced a court-martial. Trumble was about ready to throw the book at me, but someone overstepped him. So instead of a dishonourable discharge with a possible prison term, I received a black mark and was assigned to McMurdo base in Antarctica. And as you know that's where it all began."

Teyla reached over and held his face between her hands. "And I am most pleased that it did. I do not understand why this Trumble person should hate you so much though?"

"Because I basically showed him up for the idiot that he was and most likely still is. He wanted me to be punished for trying to save a fellow officer and his crew. I would have done it for anyone on that base, even him, and he knew it. Trumble wanted to see me go to prison, claiming that I was a danger to be around and I had destroyed valuable Air Force equipment. Someone in Washington obviously didn't agree with him, so he lost face somewhat. End of story or so I thought." John paused for a minute. "It seems he somehow managed to get himself promoted to Brigadier General. And about a year ago he was assigned to Homeworld security, which meant he had full access to the Stargate program. I guess when he found out about me being the commanding officer of Atlantis base he just couldn't take it. So he's probably coming to try and discredit me somehow."

Teyla kissed him lightly on the lips. "He sounds like a very unpleasant man indeed. We will have to make sure he cannot discredit you. That would be totally unjustified after all you have done, not only for my people but for Atlantis and Earth." She kissed him again. "Thank you for confiding in me. I know how difficult it is for you."

John pulled her in for a hug. "I'm getting better at it thanks to you and your wonderful ability to listen and understand. Now I have to get more mobile and be ready to face him."

"Do not overdo it or you will make matters worse."

John gave her a weary smile. "Don't worry, I won't. I intend to speak to Carson tomorrow and see if there is anything he can do to help things along a little bit. Without overdoing it," he quickly added upon seeing her worried face.

TBC

Authors Note 

_Thanks for the reviews. And to the guest reviewers who I can't personally reply to. Thank you all so much for your kind words and encouragement._


	4. Chapter 4

Deadly Intent

Chapter 4

When John hobbled into the infirmary the next morning, it seemed awfully quiet for a change. There appeared to be only one patient resting in bed. John acknowledged him with a nod, noting that the tough marine sergeant looked somewhat pale and sickly with a slightly greyish, green-tinged complexion. An I.V line fed what looked like saline solution into his heavily tattooed arm. Obviously, the man was being rehydrated.

"What happened to you, Sergeant Flynn?" John called over to him.

"Must have eaten something bad off-world. Can't seem to keep anything down at the moment." The tough guy answered glumly.

John cringed in sympathy. He hated vomiting more than anything, well almost. "Not good. Hope it stops soon for your sake, Sarge. Any idea where Doctor Beckett is?"

Before Flynn could answer, Carson's Scottish accent sounded directly behind John making him jump slightly. "I thought I heard your voice, Colonel."

John managed to swivel around on his crutches to face his friend. "Ah…just the man I wanted to see. I need to talk to you in private."

Carson had a good idea what John wanted to discuss with him. "Aye, well, we'd best be going into my office then. Sergeant Flynn's symptoms could indicate a stomach bug, so don't go getting too close to him as I'm sure you don't want that right now."

Chewing on his lip, John shook his head. "I certainly don't. Hope you get better soon, Sarge!" he remarked before hobbling behind Carson.

Flynn nodded and watched him go. That's what he loved about his C.O. The Colonel genuinely cared about his men. Now if only he could stop puking up every single thing he put in his stomach, he could get back to his duties.

Although Carson's assignment to Atlantis was only supposed to be a temporary arrangement, he'd been working out of the base now for about two and a half months to help relieve Jennifer Keller. Technically, she was still on maternity leave. Predictably though, Rodney's young wife just couldn't stay away from her work. Although having Carson around took the pressure off and enabled her to look after baby Peter while at the same time being able to help out in the infirmary when needed. Like the time when Sheppard had broken his leg. Although Carson loved working on Atlantis, he did kind of miss being out among the citizens of Pegasus. So as soon as the I.O.A got off their backsides and agreed to an additional doctor, he intended to go back out into the field again.

Carson purposely moved a little slower in order to allow John to follow him at a leisurely pace. He didn't want the Colonel putting unnecessary strain on his healing leg. They eventually reached his office, if you could call it that as it was extremely poky. A small desk and two chairs nearly filled the entire space. Carson indicated that John should sit down and take the weight off his legs.

"Now what can I do for ya?" Carson asked before taking a seat of his own.

John rested the crutches against Carson's wooden desk and came straight to the point. "I need to get rid of these damn things as quickly as possible. Is there anything you can to speed-up the healing process?"

Carson sighed. "We've been over this before and the short answer is still…no. You're doing remarkably well, but if you put your full weight on the fracture too early it could set you back for weeks."

John clenched his jaw. "It's just…," He stopped to rub his forehead, a gesture that showed how frustrated he was.

"John, I know what you want to say. Look whatever this doctor has to report, it won't change the fact that you will have full use of your leg soon enough. You are in excellent health for a man in his early forties. Your heart and lungs are sound and you keep yourself slim, which is more than I can say for others in the same age group, myself included."

"Your weight is fine, Carson."

"Aye well, I certainly have to watch the pounds, and I could do with a little more exercise if I were honest." He paused for a moment. "John, you know we'll stand by you, whatever happens."

John nodded gratefully and relaxed a little. "Thanks, I know you will. So what's the estimate?"

"When did we last do a scan?"

John had kept a good record in his mind and had no problem answering his doctor friend. "Jennifer did one seven days ago."

"Aye that she did. I remember that now and she was pleased with the results. But seeing as the Ancient scanner uses no harmful x-rays, we can do another one right now. It will tell me all the details I need to give you a truthful answer."

"Yeah, that scanner has been one of our best finds. Pity the Ancients never invented, a…bone healing machine."

Carson looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, they might have. Even after all these years we still haven't fully catalogued and tested all the equipment we've found to date."

"You're kidding me"

"No, I'm not. What with one thing and another there just hasn't been enough time. One of the main problems is a lack of trained personnel. Firstly, you need people like Rodney and Radek to look at the machine and then someone to decide if it has a medical application or not. They're usually too busy with other more important things."

"Yeah, always seems to be one crisis after another." John was thoughtful for a moment. "Yet you found the scanner quite early on?" he pointed out.

"Aye, that we did. That particular machine was quite easy to recognise, and it was well catalogued in the Ancient database. That and the other Ancient equipment we use, so maybe I'm wrong about a machine that helps to heal fractures and the like. Sorry, we'll have to do it the old fashion way and wait for Mother Nature to do her job."

John looked a little downcast. "I guess so. How about that scan then?"

"That we can do."

The scan didn't take long. Carson gave his friend some reassuring news, telling John he could soon put weight on his leg as the break was nearly healed. Just another week or so, and then he would be able to use a walking stick instead of the awkward crutches.

To John another week was one week too many.

oOo

Sometimes sleep eluded a person no matter how tired they were. Nearly everyone suffered occasionally, especially during stressful and worrying times. Any problem always seemed far worse than it actually was during the restless hours of darkness.

John normally didn't suffer from insomnia as his laid back attitude had served him well over the years. Usually, he was so worn out, what with running the military and juggling away missions that he could always fall asleep without any trouble. As long as there wasn't any danger to watch out for. However, what with one thing and another of late, his mind was often far too active to get a good night's rest. If he'd admit it, he was also worried sick about his superior's visit in a few days time. Another reason could be a lack of any strenuous activity. His physiotherapy session or the occasional hobble to his favourite balcony just weren't cutting it.

Another quiet sigh left his lips. Being extra careful so as not to disturb Teyla, John turned over yet again in an effort to find a more comfortable position. It didn't work as his bad leg decided to ache in the new position. He carefully moved again, letting out another sigh when he ended up in exactly the same place as he had been.

Teyla suddenly moved making John think he'd disturbed her. Thankfully, she didn't move again or say anything, meaning she still slept on soundly. Deciding he really must keep still for her sake he lay as still as possible. Teyla needed her rest as tomorrow she was off on a diplomatic trading mission on behalf of the Coalition and Atlantis. Although it was a fairly straightforward negotiation that should only last a couple of days, she still needed to be on guard for any slippery deeds from traders or politicians with delusions of grandeur. It worried him that she was undertaking the mission when she was already nearly four months into her pregnancy. Of course, he'd never mentioned that to her as she would probably kick his ass all the way to Earth. Nevertheless, it added to his uncertainties. Lying on his back, he agonized about that for a while. Turning it over and over in his head, which really was a pure waste of energy as he had assigned extra protection to go with her. Meaning there really wasn't anything to worry about. He had to trust her to stay safe.

Trying to concentrate on less worrying things, he attempted to switch his mind away from that particular concern. Inevitably his mind turned to work. Technically, he was still on sick leave but allowed limited light duty such as mission reports, planning and the like. Never before had his paperwork been so up to date. Not that he had always done the paperwork when on full duty. What with time restraints, he often dumped that on Major Lorne. Apart from his own mission reports, annual evaluations and promotion recommendations. That was his duty, his alone. With all the spare time, he had completed this year's evaluations and recommendations in record time about a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, high command will take note with regards to Major Lorne's long overdue promotion to a Lieutenant Colonel. For a couple of years now they had always rejected his recommendation. They insisted that the Major was still too young and inexperienced, which was absolute nonsense as John had been younger at the time of his promotion. However, he'd had Elizabeth on his side, and John knew for sure she had been the only reason for his sudden promotion. It still saddened him to think of Elizabeth gone the way she was. Another thing that plagued his mind.

 _Switch off John - for god's sake - switch off!_ He ordered firmly. He needed some sleep as he had a full day ahead of him. What with looking after the kids before their morning lesson with Angie Clarkson and his daily physiotherapy session, scheduled for the time they were with her. Then lunch with the kids before Amiera came to look after them, so he could attend what was probably going to be a long and boring staff meeting with Woolsey.

 _Long and boring. Long and boring…_ with that thought, he finally drifted off.

No sooner had he hit the pillow when it seemed the alarm went off. Teyla gave him a quick kiss before leaving the bed to go wash and get dressed for her mission.

John thought the lights high enough to see the alarm clock. It showed the unearthly hour of 04:50. Under normal circumstances that wouldn't be bad as he was an early riser anyway, but after the sleepless night, he'd just had. He sighed, rubbing his tired eyes before drifting towards sleep again.

Teyla entered the bedroom fifteen minutes later to find him fast asleep. She decided to leave him as she knew that he hadn't slept too well of late. Leaving their bedroom, she quietly entered the children's room taking note that they were also fast asleep and would probably remain so for at least another couple of hours. She scribbled a note for John and quietly left their quarters to have a quick breakfast before leaving for her mission in forty minutes time.

oOo

John woke with a start as a loud penetrating sound echoed around the thick fog that clouded his sleep-muddled mind. The sound didn't come again so maybe he'd dreamt it. He rolled over to see what time it was and realized he only been asleep for a couple of hours since he'd last checked. His alarm clock now showed 06:45. The other side of the bed was cold and empty as Teyla had already gone on her mission. John suddenly felt lonely as he had gotten so used to having Teyla by his side whenever he was home.

The sound came again. Realisation dawned. One of the children was crying. John quickly untangled his bad leg from the bedding that had somehow managed to wrap itself around his limb. Swinging it over the side, he grabbed his nearby crutches and pulled himself upright.

The crying appeared to be getting louder, so he hastily hobbled as best he could towards the second bedroom cursing his damn leg along the way. The sight that greeted him sent him into full panic mode. Both children were crying now and they looked like death warmed over. When it came to his own injuries and sickness, he took it all in his stride but seeing his kids so distressed left him feeling unnerved and anxious.

John moved over to Torren first as he was crying the loudest and appeared to be even more distressed than his sister. Placing a hand upon the boy's warm forehead, John noted that he looked quite green in the face. There was a thin sheen of perspiration covering his body and the boy smelled of vomit. John realised Torren had been sick on what little he'd had in his stomach. It covered his sleepwear and pillow.

"It's okay, Torren. I'll call for help and get you cleaned up in no time," John soothed. Torren continued to cry, although he had calmed down a little upon seeing his daddy.

John then turned to Beth and found the little girl in the same state. After comforting her, he murmured. "I'll be right back. I just have to go and call for help. Okay?" Beth nodded and wiped a hand across her tear-stained face.

John took a deep breath and stood on suddenly shaky legs. Gods, he hated it when the kids were sick. Normally Teyla would be here to deal with it and comfort them. She was fantastic at doing that and would often sing beautiful, soothing songs to them. Well, they didn't have their mom and they certainly wouldn't be comforted by his singing. However, it was still up to him to see them through this. He grabbed his crutches and went to retrieve his ear-bud, which was still next to his bed.

Adjusting them into his ear, he quickly contacted the infirmary. "This is Colonel Sheppard. I have two sick kids on my hands. Please send a doctor immediately."

It took longer than normal for someone to answer. When they did, they seemed stressed out. _"Sorry, Colonel, but we've got a bit of a situation on our hands. We really can't spare anyone at the moment."_

John blinked a couple of times, not believing what he was hearing. "What do you mean a situation? Look, my children have been sick. I need someone to check them over and help me clean them up."

Another voice came over the comm. _"This is Doctor Cole, sir. I'm sorry about that. We're being overrun by people complaining of sickness. I would have asked you to bring the children to the infirmary, but I know you're not very mobile at the moment. I think the best thing is to keep them in their beds as I'm sure it's the same illness. I'll send a nurse along to assess the situation and clean them up for you."_

"Do that, but I want them checked over by a doctor as soon as possible. I don't care how many other patients you have, the children are really sick!" John spoke a little louder than he normally would.

" _I'm sure they appear so, sir, but let me reassure you that the virus seems to be fairly short-lived. Sergeant Flynn is already showing signs of improvement. I have to go now, sir. A nurse will be along in a minute. A doctor will come as soon as possible."_

Now feeling a bit guilty for overreacting, John murmured. "Yeah, okay."

As he hobbled back to the children's bedroom, he thought about Sergeant Flynn and his sickness from yesterday. So it had been a stomach bug after all. He vaguely wondered why so many had fallen victim to it in such a short place of time. He just hoped to god he wasn't the next in line because he needed to stay well and care for his children. As best he could with his damn leg.

John re-entered the children's room. Torren appeared to be asleep now. At least he wasn't crying anymore. Beth was still whimpering, so John went and sat down by her side. He smoothed her brow. "A nurse will be here soon, sweetheart. Does it hurt anywhere?"

"No, feel sick, daddy."

"I know you do. It seems a lot of people feel the same. When the nurse arrives, she'll clean you up and look you over."

John continued to smooth her brow as Beth dozed. The door chime sounded five minutes later. John thought the door open and called for the nurse to enter, sincerely hoping that it really was a nurse. Normally he would never let anyone in without checking to see who it was first. Being less mobile certainly had its drawbacks. Thankfully it was Marie, the head nurse.

As she gathered her things, John asked. "So what's the situation? And do they know what caused it?"

"Let's get the children cleaned up first, then I'll fill you in." John nodded, although he didn't know what use he'd be.

It turned out that he was more useful than he thought as he helped strip the children's nightwear so Marie could wash them down. While Marie did that, he stripped the beds and got new bedding. Freshly washed and in new nightwear, the children both cuddled into their daddy while Marie made up their beds. John kept a bowl handy just in case they were sick again. Once Marie had finished, the children willingly took to their beds again.

Marie checked them over one last time. "Keep two bowls handy as they will probably be sick again even after the water they've just had. A doctor will be along shortly to make sure they aren't becoming dehydrated, which is the main problem with this kind of virus."

John nodded, pleased to hear that a doctor would be along soon. "So what are we dealing with?"

"Unfortunately, Doctor Beckett is also down with the virus."

"Oh, poor Carson."

Marie nodded. "Doctor Biro has said that it appears to be a virus not unlike the Norovirus back on Earth. You know, the one that affects cruise ships and the like. Only this one doesn't cause diarrhoea, just severe vomiting, and fever. Some unfortunate patients are suffering from bad stomach cramps. Thankfully, the children don't appear to have that symptom. However, they do have a low-grade fever, so I'd like you to keep an eye on that just in case it goes any higher."

John nodded. "Any idea where it comes from?"

"We've questioned the patients and it seems they all had the Ossian produced bottled Tamberry cream dessert yesterday. Sergeant Flynn and his team brought the product back from our Ossian trading partners the day before. Seems the Sergeant is particularly fond of Tamberries and thought the dessert would be a nice change for the base. As per protocol, a sample was tested by the labs. They found nothing at the time. However, another test was carried out earlier today on a different sample, it was found it to be contaminated by the virus. Now that's not saying that the virus is only spread by eating the dessert, but it seems so at the moment. I asked the children if they had any, and although their answer was a little vague, I believe they had some yesterday afternoon."

John nodded. "More than likely. Oh, sweet joy for those who like Tamberries. Personally, I find them too sweet." John pulled a face. "Must be even worse when combined into a creamy dessert."

"So you didn't have any?"

"Nope. Teyla didn't either. I don't know about Rodney, Jennifer or Ronon as they didn't join us for lunch yesterday. The children were still at their lessons, so had their lunch later with Amiera."

Marie started to pack away her things. "Right then you should be okay. I must go now. The McKay's have been advised to stay in their quarters for today at least, as it wouldn't be too good for a young baby to catch the virus. Doctor Cole will be along as soon as she can, but please advise us if there is any change in the children. Oh, and try to get some water into them, if at all possible."

"Yeah, I'll do that even if most of it comes right back. Anyway, I'll be here for them."

"I know you will be, Colonel." Marie smiled at him before heading for the door.

John sighed and watched her leave. It was going to be a very long day.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Deadly Intent

Chapter 5

Of course, things were never that simple for John or Atlantis base. Over the next day, the virus proved to be highly contagious as it began to spread throughout the entire population. It soon became obvious that those infected could easily pass the virus on through direct contact. They even thought it might be passed on in the very air they were breathing, but that had yet to be proven. So not having eaten the dessert wasn't a protection from the infection. Strangely, the city hadn't gone into lockdown. It was almost as if Atlantis knew the virus wasn't life-threatening. Although if you talked to some, they would tell you that they felt like death warmed over for a day or two.

As the virus affected more and more people, John found out the hard way that he wasn't immune when he started throwing up during the second night after the children had become ill.

Totally oblivious to their father's plight they were tucked up in bed, fast asleep. During the day they had slowly improved from their episode with the virus. They had even managed to keep water down, meaning there was no further risk of dehydration. John had cared for them none stop since they'd been taken ill. Only leaving their bedroom to eat the food he'd had delivered. The children hadn't felt like eating, so he hadn't forced them.

Torren woke and stretched his little body. He decided he was feeling much better. His sister was also awake, but only just by the look of things as she blinked her eyes to clear them. He looked around the bedroom hoping to see his daddy or momma. Then he remembered that his momma wouldn't be here because daddy had told him that she would be staying away from the city while everyone was being sick. Daddy had told him that being sick wouldn't be good for momma as she was going to have a baby. It seemed the baby was somehow in momma's tummy, which was very strange and he couldn't really understand why that should be. Beth had said it was like Auntie Jennifer. Their auntie had had such a big tummy for a while. Then one day, she had a baby in her arms. Torren scowled when he thought of the baby. It made such a loud noises sometimes, but momma said it was because he was hungry.

Torren was also hungry. He didn't know what time it was, although light showed at their window meaning it must be morning already. Then he wondered where his daddy was. He looked over to his sister again to see that she had gotten up. Beth opened the thin drapes and waved her hand over the control to lighten the windows. The room suddenly became very brighter as the sun beamed through the glass.

"Do you think it's time to get up?" Torren asked his sister.

Beth turned to look at her brother. She felt a lot better now and it looked like Torren was better too. "I think so. I wonder where daddy is." Torren just shrugged, he knew they shouldn't disturb their daddy if he was still sleeping. However, Beth had other ideas. "We should go and look where he is." Before Torren could say anything, Beth had put on her slippers and was halfway out of the room.

John breathed in deeply, he still felt so damn sick even though there was nothing left to puke on. He hadn't managed to keep even the smallest amount of water down during the night. The kids would be awake soon, so he really should get up and see to them. He turned on his side and made to grab his crutches, only to have another wave of nausea hit. He quickly grabbed the bowl on his nightstand instead. It was mainly just dry heaves that left him covered in a cold sweat. Panting hard, he gave it a minute or two, but he really needed to get up. He tried to grab his crutches again only to have the room spin around him as he suddenly blacked out.

Beth was just in time to see her daddy collapse back onto the bed. She began to panic and run towards him. "Daddy!"

Torren came running up behind her and saw why she was so scared. He felt like panicking too, but their daddy was already beginning to stir. He moved over to the bed and took his daddy's hand in his small one. It felt hot and sweaty just like his hand had been. Torren calmly turned to his sister. "We need to get a doctor."

Beth calmed down enough to move to Torren's side. She reached for the ear-bud she had seen on daddy's nightstand and put it in her ear just like she'd seen her momma and daddy do.

John blinked a few times as his vision began to clear. He had passed out for a short while some reason, although he really couldn't remember that being one of the symptoms. Looking at Beth, he gave her a reassuring nod as she began to talk. He didn't try to stop her as he knew he definitely needed help to look after the children.

Gateroom technician Chuck Campbell had just arrived on duty after having recovered from his bout of the dreaded virus. When the comm. unit activated, he was surprised to hear Beth's high pitched voice come over it. She sounded slightly shaky as she asked if a doctor could come to see her daddy as he was very ill. Chuck immediately took control of the situation. Getting in touch with the infirmary, he assured Beth that help was on the way even though the infirmary was still terribly understaffed at the moment.

When Beth had finished the call, John finally found his voice. "You did good, Beth. You too, Torren." He took Beth's hand. "I'm not that ill, sweetheart. I'll be fine. It's just this virus thing. Are you both feeling better now?"

"Yes," Two little voices replied.

"That's good," John closed his eyes for a moment as he still felt somewhat dizzy. He never noticed how worried the children looked. Although Beth and Torren couldn't really remember the dreadful illness that had nearly taken their father's life a few years back, they did know that he had been very sick with it. Thankfully the door chime sounded a few minutes later, meaning help was here. Torren went to answer it while Beth stayed with her daddy, still holding his hand for comfort as if she was worried he might die if she didn't.

"Are you both feeling better today then?" Carson greeted as he entered the master bedroom. Once again the children answered in unison with a positive yes. "That's good to hear. Now let's see how your daddy's faring, shall we."

"Are you feeling better, Carson?" John managed to murmur.

"Aye, I'm getting there. The sickness has stopped, although I feel a little washed out and could have done with spending a few more hours in bed. However, we're so understaffed that I came back to help out. Now how long have you been throwing up?"

"I lost my supper around 23:00, just as I was getting ready for bed. I've been having bouts on and off all night." John turned pleading eyes to his doctor friend. "I'm good, Carson. I'll get over it. I just need someone to look after the kids for me today."

Carson knew his patient very well, and he guessed John was underplaying things as per usual. Trying to be the tough guy that never got a stomach bug. Ronon was just as bad. "So you don't feel sick anymore?"

Beth also knew her daddy well. As did Torren. They gave each other a knowing look and Beth knew she had to say something. "Daddy went all funny just as we came in to see him."

Carson looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Before Beth could say anything, John answered. "Felt a bit dizzy and I passed out for a few seconds. That was all."

"Aye...well that's nothing then," Carson replied sarcastically. "Although…fainting," he emphasized the word, "generally isn't one of the symptoms. Doctor Wang from engineering did according to the duty staff. Seems she was severely dehydrated and was also running a very high fever. She is one of the patients most affected by the virus but is thankfully slowly getting better again. Have you managed to keep any water down since it started?"

John shook his head. "Nope."

"Then I'd guess you're also becoming dehydrated. I'll take a blood sample just to make sure. I'm pretty certain that's problem, so I'll be starting you on a saline drip in a minute. First off, I want to check your vitals then I'll take that sample."

John didn't protest as he was feeling a bit queasy again. His stomach rebelled loudly and he retched into the bowl Carson had quickly grabbed for him. When the bout ended, Carson helped him rinse his mouth out with cool water. Afterwards, John flopped back on the bed and rested his hand on his aching stomach. "Oh shit…," John swore, and then he remembered the children were still in the room.

Carson 'tut-tutted' but said nothing as he stuck a thermometer in John's ear. In the background, the children whispered, they knew very well what their daddy had just said. They had heard it around the base a few times. When they had asked momma, she had said it was a naughty word and not to say it. They really didn't know why it was a naughty word, but they kept their promise. Seems their daddy did use it, but it was the first time they had never heard him. It must be because he felt so ill.

Carson removed the thermometer and another tut-tut left his mouth. "You've quite a fever, Colonel." He reached into his bag and began to prepare the syringe for the blood sample and the saline drip. "Now normally, I may have dragged you off to the infirmary, but you'll be pleased to hear that we're fully booked out at the moment. So I'll send someone to help and let you sleep it off at home."

John nodded. Relieved to hear that he could stay in his own comfortable bed. He didn't say anything, but a faint smile crossed his dry lips as two little voices piped up that they would look after their daddy like he had done for them.

Carson replied. "Aye, you can certainly help the person I send along. You're not quite old enough yet to stay alone with your sick daddy. However, after I leave, I want you to be good because it will be a few minutes before I can arrange for someone to come and help."

John didn't like the idea of them left to their own devices even for a minute or two. Generally, they were good kids, but their inquisitiveness sometimes got them into trouble. He did his best to pull himself together and be more alert. Shaking off the overall feeling of…well…not feeling too good at all. It worked a little, although he knew it wouldn't last. Finding his voice, he looked at them earnestly. "I'd like you both to stay in here with me until the person arrives as I might need your help. Okay."

The children nodded as Carson finished attaching the I.V. He didn't have a pole to hang it from so hooked it from a piece of Athosian artwork above the bed. He just prayed Teyla wouldn't mind. Not that she would find out unless the children said anything. "Aye, your daddy will need to be looked after in case he feels sick again." The doctor could see that his friend was trying his hardest to stay alert. "Now if you feel like water, sip it slowly with one little mouthful at a time so it stays down. Well, hopefully for your sake. I guess you don't need the bathroom at the moment. I should have asked before attaching the IV."

John gently shook his head. "No water in, no water out, doc."

"Aye, I guess not."

John had a question before Carson left. He was slowly beginning to feel a teeny bit better as the saline began to rehydrate his body, "Who's in charge?"

"Mr Woolsey hasn't been affected. He's kept himself well away from any sick people, and he didn't eat any of the Tamberry desserts."

"Good for him," John muttered, sounding a little envious of that. Not that he would ever blame the kids for his current state. "Rodney and family are okay?"

Carson smiled as he packed his things away. "You know Rodney. He, Jennifer and Peter have been barricaded in their quarters. I think they're living on bottled water, MRE's and power bars."

John put his hand over his mouth for a second before answering. "That can't be good, but I guess that's one way of avoiding the virus." He sighed, "Hope things get back to normal soon so Teyla can come back home. We miss her don't we kids."

"Yes, daddy." Torren looked a bit tearful as he was very close to his mother. His daddy had promised that momma would be home as soon as possible. He just wanted her here now.

Beth moved to her daddy. "I want my momma too, but I don't want the baby to get sick even though the baby is inside momma."

"That's very wise of you, Beth. Although the baby is well protected by being inside your momma, it still wouldn't be too good if your momma got the virus as it would make her sick. Just like you were and your daddy certainly is." Carson said.

"You too, Uncle Carson," Beth said with sorrowful eyes.

Carson turned to look at the children. "Aye, I'm very happy it's over now and I'm sure you are too." He turned back to face John. "I'm afraid to say that the virus must be allowed to run its course. We predict about another week at least."

John went paler than he already was. "What! That means the Daedalus will be here before it's over then."

"Oh, I forgot to mention. Mr Woolsey has contacted Colonel Caldwell and has informed him of the situation. They both agree that the ship shouldn't land before the epidemic is well and truly over. So Colonel Caldwell will take the opportunity to investigate an interesting nebula in the Tribuana quadrant. It's a five-day journey there and back, so they will be gone for at least seven days. Now that should give your leg extra time to heal. We'll do another scan after you get over the virus and see if you can walk with only a cane. Actually being bedridden for a day or two may help with the final healing process as I know you've not always taken the strain off your leg like you should have."

"Carson, it's difficult to even with forearm crutches. But that's great news about the delay. Of course, I mean the Daedalus, not so much about Teyla as we'd like her home. Anyway, you never know with a bit of luck they may lose General Trumble somewhere in the nebula."

"If he's as bad as you say, then that would certainly be a blessing. I don't like overbearing military people coming here to upset my friends. I well remember Colonel Everett coming during our first year and bossing everyone around like he owned the place." John simply nodded to that. "No doubt the General's moaning his head off about the diversion."

"Yeah, more than likely unless he's changed, which I very much doubt," John whispered at the end.

Carson grabbed his bag and looked at the children as they stood by patiently listening to the conversation. "I'll be going now. You stay by the daddy's side, and someone will be along in about fifteen minutes or so."

Torren looked a little tearful again. Carson ruffled his dark curly hair. "Don't worry, lad. Everything will be fine."

TBC

Authors note. 

The last two chapters have been not so interesting but I needed an excuse to keep the General away for a while. I'm pretty sure normal illnesses would affect the city just like here on Earth. Please review.


	6. Chapter 6

Deadly Intent

Chapter 6

Carson had been right, being cooped up in bed for a few days while he recovered from the dreaded puking bug had done John's leg a world of good. As soon as he had felt like it, the residential rehab/physiotherapist Brian Yates had come by to continue the gentle exercises to strengthen John's ankle and knee joints. Although the virus hadn't lasted that long for most sufferers, being one of the less fortunate ones, John had suffered longer than most. Carson had reckoned any bug, no matter how big or microscopically small had it in for him. John had definitely agreed with that assessment.

During his illness, the children had been so grown-up and helpful. Beth had enjoyed playing nurse for her daddy while Torren had been the man around the house. Their various babysitters had been amazed at their behaviour. John had eventually been well enough to get up and keep an eye on them himself. After that, they had played games on the computer, read books, watched a few cartoons and cuddled an awful lot. Because deep down, John had known the kids were missing their mom terribly.

With the epidemic over, as there hadn't been a new case for four days now, the doctors had declared it safe to bring back any long overdue off-world teams. That included Teyla and her escorts. On the morning of their expected arrival, John was actually back on full duty for the first time in fourteen weeks as his leg was nearly completely healed. He could put his weight on it now and would only need the support of a cane if he had to walk any great distance or stand for any length of time.

Carson had advised against off-world travel for the time being, at least for a week or until he didn't need the cane anymore. John tended to agree with the doctor. It would have been nice if he could have escaped before General Trumble's arrival. However, that really wasn't an option, unless there was a major problem somewhere out there in the wide and troublesome Pegasus Galaxy. No, he would face the dreadful man with strength and fortitude because he was the Military Commander of Atlantis. And until some higher authority told him otherwise that's the way it would stay. This was his base, and the visiting general had better respect that.

Before the arrival of the Daedalus which was still well over five hours out, John had the pleasure of welcoming back his love from her extended off-world trip. As Teyla was due back any minute now, John had radioed the children's part-time teacher to kindly ask her to bring them to the gate room so they could welcome their mother home. Ms Clarkson had been more than understanding and had said that they would be along as soon as possible.

"So you're not using a crutch anymore?" A voice suddenly sounded right behind John as he stood daydreaming before the Stargate.

John turned to see Rodney McKay standing inches from his left shoulder. "Yep, the leg's better! So you've finally emerged from your…self imposed quarantine. But I wouldn't stand so close, Rodney, you never know if the bug is still lurking around me."

Rodney leapt back as if John had just attacked him with a lemon. "I thought you and the rest were virus free now!"

"Yeah, hopefully. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, even you."

"Oh, ha, ha. You wouldn't be here if you weren't free of the virus." Despite the reassurance, Rodney remained a good few feet from his friend.

John turned to face him. "I don't bite you know. And I was only joking about the bug. According to Carson, I am one hundred percent clear now and so is everyone else."

"Yes, well, I'd rather not take any chances, thank you." John rolled his eyes and turned back to the gate. "Why are you here anyway?" The scientist asked from behind his back.

"Teyla's due back anytime now," John said no more as that should be explanation enough. "You and the family okay? Survived living on Powerbars and MRE's?"

"We did just fine. You know I like MRE's."

"I bet Jennifer doesn't," John muttered under his breath. He was saved from some snarky comeback when two boisterous youngest bounded up to him and began jumping up and down with excitement. "Calm down you two, Momma isn't here yet. Now you know you mustn't stand too close to the Stargate went it activates." Normally the children weren't allowed in the gate room unless they were travelling off-world with Teyla or himself.

"Yes, daddy. The Stargate goes whoosh, and it could make us disappear for good." Torren piped up.

Rodney heard it and decided to start a long-winded explanation. "Oh, that's the vortex. It's a power surge just before event horizon forms. Although during an incoming activation the shield normally contains it thereby preventing the surge associated with an outgoing activation. Of course, it wouldn't be wise to stand within the area at any time, just in case. You see a vortex surge will annihilate anything in its path. I well remember how we destroyed half of Michael's puddle jumper…," Just then the Stargate began to light up and activate in its usual noisy way, and Rodney's babble was cut short. The children weren't really listening anyway.

John knew what Rodney wanted to say. There really should be some distinct floor markings near the Stargate to indicate the unsafe zone. Maybe the Ancients hadn't been too worried about safety issues. John wondered if there had been any small children living in the city as there was nothing to indicate their presence like a playroom or the like. Or maybe their children had never been allowed to simply play? All learning and no fun.

John turned his attention back to the present. Although they were already standing in a safe place, John moved the children a little farther back and held onto them tightly as several Marines took up defensive positions as per protocol. John had no doubt it was Teyla and the Marines sent to escort her, and the force field protecting the base would never be lowered until a correct identification code was received.

The vortex formed with its normal energy and the event horizon settled behind the shield to look like a shimmering pool of water. A moment later, the duty technician shouted. "Code received! It's Teyla Emmagan's!"

"Lower the shield, Chuck!" John ordered, loud enough so the man could hear over the noise of the children as they started jumping up and down again.

Teyla emerged a moment later and smiled warmly at her family as she hurried towards them. The children rushed to greet her throwing their arms around her legs. Teyla reached down and ruffled their hair. She couldn't pick them up as they were getting heavy and her growing bulge was getting bigger. She bent down and gave them each a kiss on the cheek.

John moved up to stand near them and planted on soft kiss on Teyla's forehead. Then they greeted in Athosian fashion, bowing their heads and touching brow to brow. The passionate kisses would come later once they were in the privacy of their own quarters. "Welcome home." He murmured. "We've missed you so much, haven't we kids." The children nodded emphatically.

"And I have missed you, also. I was very sad that I could not be with you all when you were so ill." Teyla looked at them earnestly. "Are you well now?"

"Momma, we were better quickly, but daddy was ill for many days. Daddy went all funny one morning." Beth, who was the talkative one, enthusiastically informed her mother.

Teyla looked concerned, so John quickly added in a quiet voice that hopefully only they could hear. "I was a little-dehydrated and…passed out for a few seconds. And I was only ill for three days, Beth."

Unfortunately, Rodney had moved a little closer and heard the comment. "Ha! You fainted!"

John turned to his friend. "It happens, McKay. I was ill with that darn virus. Some people locked themselves away and ate only MRE's."

"To prevent my son from catching the virus. Jennifer also agreed to do it, despite the fact she felt guilty about leaving the infirmary to cope without her."

John smiled. "Keeping baby Peter isolated I fully understood. So you can understand that I passed out from lack of water because it wouldn't stay in my stomach for more than a minute."

Teyla quickly interjected to stop the boys from any further bickering. "Rodney, it is good that you did not become ill and that Peter is also well."

"Yes, yes, that wouldn't have been good. Anyway, welcome back to Atlantis. I must go now and do some work as I haven't been able to do anything for over a week."

John nodded, "You do that Rodney. Kids, you need to get back to your lessons. Momma has to go for her post-mission check-up, and I need to get back to work."

It was then that Teyla suddenly realised that John was in full uniform, minus his crutches. "Your leg is healed?"

"Yep, I have to use a cane sometimes, but Carson has allowed me back on full duty provided I don't go off-world for a week or so," John replied. "Look, why don't we all meet up for lunch in the mess say around midday."

"Us too, daddy?" Torren asked.

"Yes, Torren. Right now your teacher is waiting to take you back to your lessons, so we'll see you both later." The children nodded and ran over to where Ms Clarkson was still waiting just by the exit. John gave her a quick nod and turned back to his love. Giving her another quick hug, he murmured. "We'll talk later okay." Teyla nodded then started to head for the infirmary.

John watched her go with a smile. It was so good to have her back safe and sound. He turned to look up the central staircase leading to the control room and saw Mr. Woolsey standing patiently. The cities leader beckoned to him before walking away towards his office.

It took John a little longer than normal to climb the stairs as he didn't want to put a strain on his leg. No hasty leaping up them at the moment. John eventually entered Woolsey's office and after exchanging greetings, the ex N.I.D. and I.O.A. member indicated that he should sit down. John nodded and gratefully took the weight off his legs.

Woolsey cleared his throat and said. "It's good to see Teyla back." John smiled and nodded in agreement. "I'm also delighted to see you back on full active duty, Colonel. In fact, I'm very relieved that you will be here to greet our unwanted guest."

John's smile quickly disappeared as he certainly didn't feel relieved. "If I must."

Woolsey flinched at that. "Unfortunately there is no way to avoid it now. Colonel Caldwell contacted me privately about an hour ago. I must say I don't ever recall hearing him sound so disgruntled. He's usually so calm and professional, but this time around he sounded positively harassed."

John chewed on his lower lip. "That doesn't surprise me. I remember feeling that way whenever I had any dealings with Trumble."

"Now how did you know Caldwell's bad mood was connected to him?"

"Well, I couldn't imagine it being anything else." John defended.

"No, you're right. Caldwell told me he nearly had a mutiny on his hands because of the General's attitude towards his crew. He was for the most part extremely condescending and critical of the way the ship was being run."

John winced. "If he thinks that about the Daedalus. What's he going to say about Atlantis?"

Woolsey thought for a moment. "Maybe it would be wise to quietly ask your people to salute and say 'sir' all the time when addressing a superior, at least while he's here."

The defiant part of John wanted to say - no because that's the way he ran things. The stuck-up protocol-obsessed general could go to hell as far as John was concerned. Then he remembered Trumble from his days in Afghanistan. The then Colonel was a stickler for correct behaviour even in the most critical of combat situations. Consequently, the man never gained any respect from his people, not even from their Afghan allies who thought they were dealing with American imperialism at its worst. Trumble considered himself to be always right. He was a know-all who rarely listened to other people's ideas and opinions. He came from a supposedly rich and influential family. John heard some years ago that they were virtually bankrupt for some reason. Nevertheless, Trumble had had a very privileged upbringing, attending several elite boarding schools that the family could ill afford and later the Air Force Academy. Not that John hadn't had similar privileges, but he had worked extremely hard to gain entry to Stanford and had been accepted with open arms because of his excellent grades and not because of his family's wealth and influence. In fact, his father had refused to pay his fees at first but relented when he had quickly realised that nothing would change his son's mind.

Woolsey broke through John's thoughts. "I've asked Major Lorne to come by soon. Between us, we'd better come to some temporary arrangement." Richard held up his hand when he could see Sheppard wanted to protest, "Just bear with it while he's here as we don't want to give this man any reason whatsoever to come at you."

"Okay, best not to invite trouble, huh, so I'll go along with it. Mark my words he'll try to find something."

"Yes, well. If that's the case, whatever you do, you must not lose your temper and hit him. As that could well be the excuse he needs." Not that Woolsey had ever seen Sheppard really lose it, but he must from time to time. "And don't let Ronon anywhere near him or we could be dealing with a murder charge."

John sighed at that. "I certainly don't want to see that happen, unless it was an accident of course." Seeing Woolsey slowly shaking his head, John quickly added. "Don't worry I'll talk to him."

"Earlier this morning I talked the situation over with Landry. First off, the General said he was extremely annoyed as he didn't agree to Trumble's trip. He even tried to stop it, but several I.O.A. members overrode him."

"Let me guess. Coolidge was one of them."

Woolsey shook his head again. "No, it might be a surprise to know that Coolidge has always been on your side. Unlike Shen Xiaoli, not only did she try to replace me that one time, but she has made several critical comments concerning your behaviour and actions over the years. Like some of the military, she still sees you as a loose cannon waiting to go off at any time. I guess when she found a true ally in Trumble, she set about supporting him in his supposed derailment of your command position."

John rubbed his forehead. "Oh, just great. Doesn't saving the Earth count for anything these days?"

"In my book it most certainly does. Though you have to think, members of the I.O.A. have very short memories spans. As that incident was well over four years ago now, I doubt they remember your exact contribution. Anyway, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Trumble may only be coming to admire the view."

John's guffaw could probably be heard across the control room, but he made no comment as Woolsey handed him a flash drive. "What's this?"

"When I contacted the SGC, they sent forward a data file for your attention. It also includes the latest promotion list based on your recommendations. I've also received the list. I believe we have some people to congratulate, including Lorne."

A smile spread across John's face. "So they've finally given him his silver oak."

Woolsey nodded. "Yes, they have. As that's your department, I'll leave you to inform Lorne. I expect you'll be planning a promotion ceremony in the near future. First of all, however, we have to deal with one very unwelcome General."

"Unfortunately," John thought for a minute. "You know I really don't want him to have anything to do with the ceremony or the promotions as I'm sure he had nothing to do with them. In fact, I think we'll leave it until we've booted him all the way back to Earth. I will inform the people involved, but ask them to keep it under wraps for now. Especially as the promotions really weren't expected until later this month.

Again Woolsey nodded. "It seems someone in high command decided to move things along a little faster this time around."

"Yeah," John held up the flash drive. "I'll look at this in a moment to see if it includes everyone I wanted to be upgraded." Just then the newly promoted Lorne entered Woolsey's office totally unaware of the situation regarding his future. John looked up at him and smiled. "Ah Lorne, just the person I wanted to see. I have some good news for you and then we'll discuss Trumble's visit."

Evan Lorne left the office thirty minutes later with his own big smile. Although he had to keep it quiet for now, he'd finally made it. And no matter what, Evan swore to support his CO as much as he could in the coming days as no man deserved more loyalty than John Sheppard.

TBC

 **Well not long now until the dreaded General arrives. Thanks to the guest reviewers. Glad you're enjoying to story. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

Deadly Intent

Chapter 7

John shuffled his feet to ease the growing discomfort in his newly healed leg. The slight ache had been caused by the fact that he'd already stood for over twenty minutes near the east pier's entryway while the Daedalus steadily approached through the atmosphere. He wasn't alone to suffer through the wait. Major Lorne and a small company of military personnel stood directly behind him. Dressed in their black BDU's, the men and women stood at ease at the moment. However, they were totally prepared to come to attention the minute it became necessary.

John shifted yet again as his leg twinged from standing far too long in the same position. He'd probably overdone it because despite using a transporter, the walk to the east pier was still a bit of stretch. Normally it wouldn't have bothered him at all, but it had been the longest walk John had undertaken without the use of his crutches. Instead, he'd used his cane as far as the entryway. That had helped a little, but he'd made darn sure the thing was now out of plain sight. It stood discreetly placed against a metal column behind the pier's entryway.

Trumble's impending arrival had come approximately one hour after the most pleasant lunch John had had in a while. Not only with Teyla and the children but with Rodney, Jennifer, baby Peter, Ronon and Amelia. What more could a man ask for? He hadn't eaten much as his appetite just wasn't back to normal yet. Despite that, he'd enjoyed listening to their chatter and laughter. Maybe his lack of appetite hadn't been entirely due to the aftermath of the virus. To prove the point, his stomach churned uncomfortably. He felt slightly queasy as the Daedalus finally came in for a smooth landing in her usual spot.

They could have beamed the General down. However, Caldwell had insisted that he be treated just like any other visiting military personnel and not given any special privileges. It was blatantly obvious that the Colonel didn't like the man at all, which John found extremely gratifying. The offloading of cargo would begin shortly. John already had his people waiting in the wings to undertake that duty. First to disembark would be the visiting personnel and new expedition members.

A few minutes later, the entry ramp to the Daedalus slowly lowered. John felt his heart pick up a beat with apprehension. He exchanged a quick look with Evan. The soon to be Lieutenant Colonel nodded back and smiled, trying to reassure his boss. For the next few days, until the darn general was gone again, the protocol on Atlantis would suddenly become as decisive as the Air Force or West Point Academies. Lorne had drilled the men and women in the short time he'd had. They understood the necessity as they didn't want to see their much loved and highly respected C.O. replaced. At least most of them didn't. Of course, like all workplaces, there were a few who didn't get on with Sheppard or approve of his command methods. That was only because they hadn't fitted in somehow with the close-knit community that made up the Atlantis expedition. Or they had crossed the Colonel somehow through sloppy work or bad conduct. Thankfully those cases were few and far between. Most Stargate personnel were highly trained, professional people. If there was a problem, it would usually be one of the new circuits. John had a feeling that somehow over the years the standard had slipped slightly since the early days of Stargate travel. It was probably due to the fact that Earth currently had no real threat to contend with after the defeat of the Ori and the last Goa'uld System Lord, Baal. John also had a suspicion that the high command wasn't being quite so careful in their selection of recruits. A prime example being the General who was about to disrupt their lives for sure, John still couldn't understand how he managed to wangle his way in. He guessed the I.O.A. was using him as their pawn.

John swallowed hard and let out a loud sigh as several people began to walk down the ramp, including Colonel Caldwell. He looked grim-faced and quite frankly, totally pissed off. John had only seen him look like that on a few occasions, one being when Todd had commandeered his ship during the Attero Device debacle. John turned his attention to the man walking by the Colonel's side. A man John had hoped never to meet again. Whereas Caldwell was wearing his usual ship fatigues, Trumble appeared to be decked out in his full dress uniform, with his medals and the one-star insignia proudly displayed. John did the maths and decided the General must now be in his late fifties. However, even from a distance, he could see the man's once fair hair was thin and streaked with white. His face looked heavily lined and hard. Standing just a little shorter than Caldwell, Trumble had never been considered an overly handsome man. It seemed the years hadn't been too kind to him. A small group of people walked a few paces behind the General. John guessed that among them were probably the two doctors sent to accompany the man.

John kept his expression as neutral as possible as the moment of truth neared. As the General and Colonel approached, Lorne and the welcoming party came to attention while John kept his eyes straight ahead and executed a stiff salute. "Welcome to Atlantis, sirs." He greeted, purposely including Caldwell.

Caldwell gave a small smile as he had never seen Sheppard act so correctly before. If Caldwell had looked to his side, he would have groaned at the constipated look that now covered the General's lined face. Standing directly in front of the man, John saw the full extent of hatred that showed so clearly in the man's eyes. John took a deep breath. Still keeping his eyes straight ahead, he focused over Trumble's shoulder.

The General scowled at him. "Major Sheppard, I never thought I would have the misfortune of ever meeting you again, but here we are." There were a few gasps at the General's incorrect recognition of their commander. "Oh, I'm so sorry I forgot we're a Lieutenant Colonel now aren't we?"

John was just about to correct the man when Caldwell intervened. "With all due respect, General, Colonel Sheppard obtained the rank of Full Bird Colonel several years ago. And well-deserved it was too." Surprised by Caldwell's words, John quickly sent him a look of gratitude before facing Trumble again.

General Trumble huffed and held up his hand. "How am I to know when there's no insignia on his uniform."

John bit the inside of his lower lip, this was going to be far worse than he could have imagined. He was suddenly very glad he'd ordered Ronon to stay well away. As for himself, he already felt like pushing the pompous ass into the sea, and the man had only been on Atlantis for a few minutes. _Would anybody really miss him anyway?_ Taking another deep breath while counting to ten, John knew he should try not to answer in the same patronising tone. "General Trumble…sir…that's the way things are around here. We have always been a tight-knit community. My people know exactly who I am, so there has never been any need for a rank insignia. The only patches we wear are the Atlantis and country emblems. And that's only within the city, otherwise, we go neutral off-world."

The General exchanged a looked with someone behind him, and suddenly his attitude completely changed. "Of course, Colonel. Thank you for explaining that. Now I'd like to see this city and how the military is handled. Then I'll be making my recommendations to the I.O.A."

John wanted to ask what the hell military operations had to do with the I.O.A., but decided to leave it for now. Instead, he said, "I'm sure you would like to get settled in first, …sir." He looked beyond the General and addressed the people behind him. "And that also applies to you folks." _Whoever you may be?_ He thought as they had not yet made introductions. "As you probably already gathered, I'm Colonel John Sheppard, military commander of this base. The officer behind me is my XO, Major Evan Lorne." John then went on to introduce the others in his company.

Several of the newcomers stepped forward at that point to shake hands with Sheppard. Obviously, they weren't military. One was a pretty blond woman probably a few years his junior who introduced herself as Doctor Julia Ross MD. Another visitor surprised John by saying he was a geologist, Doctor Frank Finnegan. The man was almost as short as Radek, what little hair he had, was neatly combed on either side of his balding head. He must be going on fifty at a guess. After those introductions, others stepped forward and it turned out that they had nothing to do with the General, just new civilian or military personnel joining the expedition. John welcomed them to Atlantis and passed them over to Corporal Rita Philippi who was in charge of accommodation and personnel for both military and civilian newcomers and visitors.

Doctor Ross hung back as the party began to move towards the exit. She assessed the good-looking man before her and smiled slightly at his less than perfect military hair. She could see why the pain in the ass, General Trumble might disapprove of him. Quietly handing John his cane, she said. "I believe this is yours, Colonel."

John looked at the General's retreating back. "I can't fool a doctor, can I? Thanks, I nearly forgot that I still have to use this darn thing for a while longer," he stated as they began to walk again while keeping a respectable distance from the main party.

They walked in silence for a while, leaving John with the feeling that the doctor was observing him. Eventually, she commented in a low voice. "Actually, I'm delighted to see that your leg has healed so well. From the way others talked, I expected you to be still using crutches."

"It was hard work and perseverance, but I got there in the end."

Doctor Ross nodded. "I'm looking forward to seeing the facilities you have here and meeting the other doctors. I've heard a great deal about Doctor Keller."

John nodded. "They're among the best. I suggest you get settled in before visiting the infirmary. I think Mr Woolsey has arranged a guided tour for later. You know, to show you and the others our great city."

"From what I've seen so far it's everything I imagined it to be and more. To think we are walking in a city built by people who lived ten thousand ago and once colonised Earth."

"Yeah, it's certainly something. It's been my home now for the last eight years." John clearly commented as they finally reached the transporter. One group had already gone as the transporter chamber wasn't that big. John was relieved to see that Trumble had been amongst them. "Okay, folks let's move to another part of the city using this device." He indicated the chamber and stepped into the small space with the others, including Julia Ross. "Don't be alarmed by this unusual…lift. You won't feel a thing, but it actually transports you from this point to another area in Atlantis."

Someone in the crowd piped up. "You mean as in Star Trek's transporter and beaming tech?"

"Yep, beam us up Scotty," John said, hitting the appropriate place on the map. Nobody had a chance to object because the door of the chamber opened again to reveal a different area and the first group waiting patiently with Corporal Philippi.

John noticed the scowl Trumble gave him. Thankfully Mr. Woolsey arrived at that moment to distract the man. Caldwell did the honours of introducing the General and others, leaving John free to get back to his duties. He quietly excused himself from the people surrounding him.

However, before he could leave Julia Ross turned to him and said in a very low voice. "Your city is even more inspiring in this part of it, Colonel. When you have time tomorrow, we'll do that assessment. Okay?" She actually winked at him giving John the feeling she was either flirting with him or was on his side.

In years gone by, he would have flirted right back. But just a short distance away lived the love of his life and there was nothing he would do to put that in jeopardy. Yet despite her actions, he was relieved to know that the medical doctor seemed fair and hopefully harmless. Now all he had to do was convince her that he was fit and fully able to carry out his duties. He thought for a minute before saying. "Unless some crisis arises, I should have time after lunch. I'll come to the infirmary around 13.30. If that's OK?"

"That's fine I'm sure. I'll see you then."

John walked away from her trying not to limp too much as he knew she was watching him. He was surprised when Colonel Caldwell moved up to walk with him. "Can we go to your office, Sheppard?"

"Of course. Trying to escape the General, sir?"

The older colonel snorted. "You could say that, but we need to talk."

John nodded and the two of them headed towards the office situated near the control area at the very top of the main tower. They entered the small space ten minutes later and the two men sat down. Caldwell knew this office very well as it was the same one Sheppard had had since the beginning. The very same office Caldwell had used when the younger colonel had been incapacitated by the retrovirus that had altered his DNA by nearly turning him into a bug. They had come a long way since then. Caldwell knew there had been a certain amount of resentment by him at the time as he had wanted command of Atlantis. Thankfully, Elizabeth Weir had blocked that because now Caldwell knew for sure that John Sheppard had been the better choice. Over the years that followed, Sheppard had proven time and time again just how resourceful he was by saving Atlantis and even Earth with his out of the box thinking and willingness to sacrifice his own safety. Caldwell doubted he could have pulled that off quite so well. Even though Sheppard's command style was very laid back and darn right unconventional at times, his people respected him. Sheppard never gave them the impression that he was above them. Not like General Trumble whom Caldwell had gladly left in Woolsey's company.

There was silence for a moment as Caldwell settled into his chair. Eventually, Sheppard asked. "What can I do for you, Colonel? A drink maybe before we talk."

Steven held up his hand. "I'm fine at the moment. I just wanted to give you my opinion about Trumble, but first off how's the family?"

That surprised John. "Thank you for asking, they're doing fine. The kids didn't get the virus too bad. They were sick for a day or so. Teyla was on a mission, so thankfully she wasn't exposed to it."

"Not like you I hear."

John cringed. "You could say that. Don't want that again anytime soon. You were certainly better off staying away from it. How was the trip to the nebula?"

"Every bit as spectacular as the astronomers had predicted. Even Trumble was impressed, which was basically the only time he'd been awed. Anybody would think the man had been in space many times before." Caldwell looked directly at John. "You know, I used to think the worst thing an officer could do was disobey the orders of a superior. That's why I had little or no respect for you at the beginning. I still think that's mainly true. However, I'm beginning to understand the position you were in. I now know where you were coming from when you ignored Trumble's orders to go rescue Captain Holland and his men."

"To try to rescue. Unfortunately, the crew were already dead and Holland as good as."

Caldwell nodded silently. "At least you gave it a shot."

"Yes, I did, but it nearly ended my career."

"Well, someone must have thought differently. Trumble seems to think it was your father's influence. Is he right?"

John slowly shook his head. "My father wanted me out of the Air Force, so he wouldn't have been the one. I like to think it was because of my flying abilities. Oh well, guess it will always be a mystery."

"And yet you were assigned to McMurdo. Did they offer you anything else?"

This was the first time Caldwell had even asked John about his previous career. Although John usually didn't talk much about his past, for some reason, he felt like doing so now. "Nope, it was either that or career over. I decided on McMurdo because I still wanted to fly, and I had no desire to face my father's derivative comments like, I told you so."

"Meaning?"

"He thought I was a loser. If I'd quitted at that stage, it would have proven him right."

Caldwell nodded. "Well, obviously Jack O'Neill thought differently. By the way, he's on your case after Colonel Carter told him about Trumble. To quote his words, he said that he would come out of retirement just this one time to save Sheppard's ass once again. Mainly because he considers you, his protégé and what would Atlantis be without its golden gene boy."

John smiled at that, he was hardly a boy any more, but he wondered why the retired general considered he'd saved his ass on more than one occasion. To John's knowledge, it had only been once when he'd ignored General Landry's orders not to go back to Atlantis and free the city from the replicators. The action had saved General O'Neill and Mr Woolsey from being nuked by the Daedalus. Elizabeth had pleaded their case and O'Neill had agreed to let them stay. That included him even though Landry had wanted him to face charges at the time.

John looked thoughtful. "What does O'Neill intend to do then? Stand up to the whole I.O.A.?"

"According to Colonel Carter, he intends to go straight to the top. Anyway, it's only a few I.O.A. members and maybe a senator or two who want a change of command here. As for Trumble, I don't think relieving you of command is the only thing on his agenda. I've seen him quietly consulting with that geologist Doctor Finnegan quite a bit for some reason or other. Oh, and there's something else we need to keep an eye on. In my opinion, Trumble is mentally unbalanced. His mood swings are unpredictable, and his actions and words darn right weird at times. It would be worth asking Doctor Robinson to keep an eye on him."

John had noticed that already. "Yeah, I will. How in heavens name did he manage to get through his psychological evaluation and make it to General?"

"Good question. Look, Sheppard, whatever you do, don't hit out at the man and give him any reason whatsoever to dismiss you."

John looked at the Colonel earnestly. "Mr Woolsey said the same thing. Don't worry I wouldn't." Hopefully, that was one promise he could keep as he certainly didn't want to ruin things.

TBC

 **So the dreaded General has arrived. Troubled waters ahead. Action comes along later in the story. Thanks to Guest64 and shestarsky for your reviews. Please review as it keeps me going. I still miss SGA so much. I can't believe it's heading for nine years since they took the excellent show off the air. Fool them. Unfortunately interest has waned in recent years and sadly there's not so much Fan Fiction around.**


	8. Chapter 8

Deadly Intent

Chapter 8

After speaking to Caldwell, John decided to stay in his office. He quietly sorted through the information regarding their ten new recruits. Deciding exactly where to place them in the cities military structure. This unusual behaviour may have been interpreted by some as hiding away, but the work he was currently doing was essential. Only, he was getting done a heck lot quicker than normal. He usually didn't have time to study the new recruits' service reports until some days after their arrival and sometimes not at all depending on his workload or away missions. Thankfully, Major Lorne had always been quite willing to step in. Evan was busy right now giving the new guys the usual orientation presentation. Then he would find them accommodation with Corporal Philippi's assistance and help her to get them settled in.

John intended to personally welcome them to his command tomorrow afternoon. He just prayed Trumble kept his damn nose out of it. No doubt, the General wouldn't like his relaxed, laid-back style of conducting things. The new recruits were mainly Marines and would go on to be further trained in the art of dealing with the Wraith before being assessed by Ronon. However, one was an Air Force Lieutenant by the name of Ricardo Ramos who stemmed from Spain. He had the Ancient gene and would hopefully go on to become a Jumper pilot. Lieutenant James Becket, who was now a well-established member of Sheppard's own team, had popped in earlier and John had taken the opportunity to ask the young airman if he knew Ramos. His teammate hadn't but had promised to take the new officer under his wing, for which John was truly grateful. One less thing to concern him.

A little while later, John glanced at his watch and was surprised to see how late it was already. Strange how time flew when stuck doing mundane paperwork on his computer. Switching the thing off, he decided it was time to head back to his quarters. Leaving his cane behind, John quietly slipped out of his office and headed for the nearest transporter that would take him to the living quarters.

John had nearly made it to the ornate doors of the chamber when a voice, he didn't want to hear, rang out. "Have you been avoiding me, Sheppard?"

John sighed and counted to ten before turning to face his nemesis. The man was standing about twelve feet away from him with an ugly scowl on his face. "I haven't been avoiding you. I've been doing necessary paperwork in my office, General." _Maybe_ _a small fib, but Trumble didn't need to know that._ "Now if you'd excuse me…sir, I'm just about to go off duty and return to my quarters for supper with my family."

Trumble moved to stand closer until there were only a few feet separating them. "You mean the alien woman and her children whom you've been living in sin with. I'm sure your Catholic family would be mortified if they knew that."

John realised he had made a mistake by mentioning his family. He clenched his hand tightly. _My brother knows, you asshole, and he doesn't have a problem with it._ Of course, he didn't voice that out loud. He did feel like hitting the bastard in his righteous face but knew that would spell the end of his career. It was probably exactly what Trumble wanted him to do. Taking a calming breath, John gritted teeth and said. "Firstly, it's a good thing my wife didn't hear you say that. Secondly, how dare you judge us…sir. Just because we haven't gone through a standard Christian marriage ceremony doesn't mean we don't love and respect each other. You forget one thing, General. We are the aliens in this galaxy, not the natives of Pegasus. It's Teyla Emmagan who's living with an alien. The people of Athos have very different customs and religion from ours. We must respect that, or we are no different from the Spanish invaders who forced their ways and religion upon the native tribes of the Americas."

Trumble coughed. "I don't agree with you, the infidels needed taming. As far as I'm concerned, you are an extremely bad example and a disgrace to your men. I am a good upholding Baptist and living together outside marriage is totally unacceptable to me."

John couldn't argue against that as quite a few members of the expedition were Christians, practising or not. The percentage was higher among the military personnel as they mainly stemmed from the U.S., Europe, South Africa and Australia. There were a few exceptions of course in both the military and civilians. Many of the scientists, including McKay, were pretty much none believers. Others included Muslins, Jews, Hindus and even a couple of Buddhists. Everybody was free to worship as they pleased and nobody tried to interfere or condemn them. Not one member had ever been heard criticising him for living with Teyla.

John needed to get away as he could feel a headache coming on. He was also hungry and really didn't need this right now. "Think what you like about my family, General. I love them and nothing you say will change that fact. Right now, I'm leaving to join them for supper."

"That's right run away like you always do when you know you're in the wrong."

"I wasn't running away, General. I'm going home as it's 19.00 hours and my duty shift has ended for today. I suggest you go into the mess and eat…sir." John said, trying his hardest to keep the contempt out of his tone.

Trumble's scowl deepened. "So far I'm not at all impressed by this base, Sheppard. You haven't even got an officers mess. I will be forced to eat with the rabble."

"That rabble as you called them is a highly trained team, made up of the finest minds and people in two galaxies. I don't think they would take too kindly to you calling them a rabble. Again you forget that a good proportion of this expedition isn't military. As such, we never felt the necessity to have separate eating areas. I like my people to mingle and get to know the scientists they will be protecting off-world."

The General didn't say anything to that. He was trying his hardest to get the younger man to hit out at him, but so far Sheppard had remained remarkably calm. Trumble realised that the man standing before him had changed a great deal from the young hot-headed Major who had disobeyed his orders back in Afghanistan. Despite that fact, Trumble was determined to bring the man down, one way or another.

"You know, I never understood how you managed to avoid prison after your little-misguided stunt under my command. I wanted to see you go to the USDB in Leavenworth, but I suppose your father got the best lawyers to make a deal for you."

Damn the General. He was getting on John's nerves as this is not the right place to be having this kind of conversation. "Think what you like, General," John said before turning towards the transporter doors with the intention of leaving.

Trumble scowled at Sheppard's back. "How dare you turn your back on me! You may have reached the rank of Colonel, but that doesn't give you any right to be disrespectful to my rank! I'm a General and you will wait until I have dismissed you. Is that clear!"

The General didn't see Sheppard's face turn deadly as he was still turned away from him. The only ones to ever witness that dreaded laser look were Wraith just before they died, rogue Genii and Rodney as a warning to back off. Not that he would ever hurt his friend in any way. However, Trumble's words had incensed John beyond reason. Clenching his fist, John prepared to lash out when a very familiar voice rang out.

"Ah Sheppard, there you are! We were beginning to wonder what was keeping you!"

John turned to look beyond the General and allowed himself to calm down at the sight of his friend approaching. John had never been more grateful to see McKay in all his life. Giving it another few seconds, he turned his attention back to the General. "With all due respect, sir, this is my base. You are a visitor, and I would ask you to respect my command. This corridor is hardly the place to voice your past grievances concerning me. Right now, I am going home like I intended to do over ten minutes ago." With that, he swiped his hand over the transporter chamber controls and waited for McKay to join him.

As they stepped inside, they heard the General say. "This isn't over yet, Sheppard. We will continue our conversation…tomorrow."

John cringed, _oh goody, something to look forward to._ "Thanks, Rodney. You just saved my bacon," he whispered before turning to the destination map. Clenching his fist, he struck the object quite hard making Rodney wince. They were transported before Rodney could moan about destroying valuable property.

As they stepped out of the transporter at the other end, Rodney turned to chastise his friend, but the look on John's rigid face stopped him. He had seen Sheppard during many a stressful and harrowing experience, but what he saw now was something else entirely. John had never looked so aggravated. Before they reached their destination, Rodney put his hand on John's arm. "You know we could arrange a little accident."

That immediately lightened John's mood, just a little. "Are you suggesting we bump him off?"

"Oh no, no, I meant an accident to keep him in the infirmary for the rest of his stay."

John rolled his eyes. "You really want to wish that terror on your poor wife and Carson?"

"I'm sure Jennifer could give him some strong sedatives or something."

John actually smiled. "Great idea, but it would only delay the inevitable. And probably with our luck keep him here longer than intended because the Daedalus has a schedule to keep. They will be returning to Earth in four days time, and I'm hoping the bastard is onboard. Anyway, thanks again, because if you hadn't come along when you did, I would have knocked his teeth out."

As they entered the Sheppard family quarters, McKay murmured behind him, "That's what Teyla and Jennifer were afraid of."

oOo

Trumble was still furious as he tried to remember the way to the mess. _How dare Sheppard talk_ _to him like that?_ _He would make sure the man lost his command for such insolence_. Getting angrier by the minute, he began to mutter incoherently while walking aimlessly along corridors that all looked the damn same with their awful ornate patterns and bubbling water things. _Whatever they are supposed to be_. He hated this place already, and he'd only been here for about six hours. As soon as matters had been dealt with, mainly the destruction of Sheppard, he would gladly head back to Earth.

It took a while until eventually, Trumble realised he was hopelessly lost. Little did he know that someone had been following him ever since his confrontation with Sheppard. That was until a voice called out. "Trumble, you really need to learn your way around this amazing city."

The General turned to confront the man who had spoken. "Don't tell me you know already Finnegan? This bloody place is like a maze."

The Irish geologist sniggered. "Trust you to consider this beautiful city a bloody awful place. Come with me a minute and I'll prove otherwise."

Trumble, who was a good six feet tall, followed the much shorter man. He scowled the whole time at Finnegan's almost hairless head as they went along yet more identical corridors. Somehow during his meandering, the General had managed to find his way down to the lower section of the central tower. Finnegan had already learnt his way around the tower, so he quickly led Trumble to the nearest outside viewing terrace. It was already dark outside and the stars twinkled brightly above the brilliantly lit cityscape.

It was a breathtaking view. Even Trumble managed to look a little impressed. "Yes, yes, very nice, but why in heavens name did these Ancient people have to build a city of steel and glass. Surely they could have used more pleasing materials like marble. It's far too industrial looking for my tastes."

Do you realise that this city is basically a space going vessel? I believe any other material would have been totally unpractical. Now I want to remind you of our main reason for being here in the first place. I saw you in the upper corridor with that Colonel who you despise so much. If you continue to antagonise him, it could jeopardise all our plans."

"And I told you when we agreed to this that destroying Sheppard was also on my agenda. I won't be happy leaving here until he has been removed from command and is locked away, so he can do no more harm."

 _Oh, here we go again,_ Finnegan thought, the General was about to go off on one of his raving rants. He tried to stall the man, but Trumble was no longer listening.

"You know Sheppard once had the audacity to spend a whole night with one of the evillest of Afghan warlords. They smoked hashish together with two of Sheppard's pilot buddies. The worst officers I ever had the misfortune to command. The two friends died shortly after that, thank God. Unfortunately, Sheppard was in a different helicopter when it happened _."_

 _Of course, if John had heard that he would have been very upset. The loss of Mitch and Dex had been a blow to everyone, barring Trumble it seemed. He would have also corrected the General by saying it was just a simple Hookah pipe and there had been no hashish or any other illegal substance involved as the warlord had simply wanted to practice his English on them._

But John wasn't there to defend himself as Trumble continued to rant. "That man is partly responsible for aiding the Taliban and probably encouraging the growth of ISIS."

 _Yep, definitely psychotic._ Finnegan rolled his eyes before asking. "Who the warlord or Sheppard?"

"Sheppard of course, you stupid man."

The General didn't notice Finnegan scowling at him with a pure look of hatred. If he had done, he would have stepped farther away from the geologist. Finnegan knew the man had more than a few loose screws in his noggin. He was downright barmy at times, but Finnegan needed him until their goal was achieved and then all bets were off. Maybe he would off the man then somehow blame it on Sheppard. Not that he had any personal grievances against the Colonel other than the fact that he was sick of hearing his name.

Eventually, the Irishman managed to find his voice. "Corporal Derek Carpenter and resident geologist Dieter Stein will be here soon. Then we can make the final plans. And please don't go on about Sheppard in front of them."

Thankfully, the General began to calm down at the mention of the young corporal knowing that the man hated Sheppard almost as much as he did. Then Trumble's mood suddenly swung in the opposite direction and he almost became quite pleasant as they waited.

Finnegan sighed. _How the hell did the man get through his psychological evaluation?_

 _TBC_


	9. Chapter 9

Deadly Intent

Chapter 9

"I nearly hit him," John confessed to a very concerned Teyla as they sat together on the couch. "If Rodney hadn't of come along when he did, then…well."

Teyla silenced him with a kiss before saying. "Then we must be very thankful that Rodney was able to distract you."

John nodded and smiled at her. "Let's not talk about this anymore, huh. I haven't had a chance to ask you about your trip. What with the arrival of the Daedalus, supper and getting the kids into bed. How did the negotiations go?"

"They went very smoothly and I can see a good trade agreement in our future. They will also become full members of the coalition. However, they wish to talk to Mr Woolsey before making the final decision regarding trade. They also requested your presence as they wish for your advice on the best way to protect their people from further Wraith attacks. They believe you to be a great strategist and warrior, which I assured them you were. "

John slowly shook his head and sighed. He certainly didn't consider himself to be great at any of those things. He also hated being responsible for so many lives if things went wrong, all because of his ideas. "I don't suppose I can get out of it, but I won't be doing it alone. Once this business with Trumble is over, we'll arrange a meeting with their council or whatever. Mind you, I'd rather face dealing with them than Trumble any day." He quickly changed the subject again hoping to forget it for a while. "At least I have some good news. Lorne has finally been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel."

Teyla's face lit up. "That is good news for him. Will he still be your XO?"

"I certainly hope so. He's the best second anyone could wish for. We're keeping it under wraps for now as it's our business. I don't want Trumble interfering." John sighed again. "Why do I keep coming back to that damn man? Come on, let's call it a night and go to bed already. I've missed you so much, I want a big cuddled. Although a few nights ago I wouldn't have been very good company for a cuddle." John commented as he pulled her up from the couch.

"No doubt if I had been home I would have been in the same state. Therefore, we must be thankful that I was not here for our baby's sake." John looked at her and nodded. As he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, she whispered. "I too have missed you in my arms."

oOo

A few doors away, a little girl lay awake while her brother slept peacefully in the bed across from hers. Normally, Beth would have been asleep at this time, but she was worried about her daddy. Through her link with him, Beth knew he was very upset. She didn't like that one bit. Earlier when Uncle Rodney and Aunty Jennifer had been here with baby Peter they had talked a little about a very nasty man who had come to Atlantis. The adults didn't think she understood, but Beth knew who they were talking about because she had seen the man when Aunty Amelia had taken them for a walk. The nasty man had been dressed in a uniform like her daddy's posh one, but with even more coloured and shiny things all over his jacket. Torren had said he was an important man and that momma had said they must be on their best behaviour should they see him. Aunty Amelia had saluted the man. He had only scowled at them as he quickly walked by. Aunty Amelia had not been very happy and had muttered what a rude man he was.

Beth knew the man was the one upsetting her daddy, so she wondered how to get him to go away again. Using her connection with the city, she came up with his location. For a while, she wondered what she could do. She thought of a few things, but before she could think of anything, in particular, her eyes began to droop and she fell asleep. However, Atlantis had heard her loud and clear.

oOo

General Trumble entered his assigned room and luckily found the light-switch immediately having been shown where it was earlier by that wretched foreign officer, Corporal Rita Philippi with her inability to speak English correctly. He looked around the spacious room with its stupid little single bed that was far too short to accommodate his tall frame. _How was he supposed to sleep on that thing?_ Granted in his youth, he had slept on far worse. Now he decided that the bed was hardly fitting for a man in his position. He sighed as it would have to do for now. It had been a long day, and he was very tired, so he was calling it a night. Entering the bathroom, Trumble decided to forego a shower as he would have plenty of time for one in the morning.

Taking a glass of water back into the main room, he downed his medication as he was sure his blood pressure was far higher than it should be. His doctors had warned him about that. Most times it was kept well under control, but dealing with Sheppard had been dreadfully stressful. How he hated that man.

Stepping out of his uniform, he carefully looked around trying to figure out where the closet was. He fumed and cursed again at the design of the room as he couldn't locate a closet or even a coat hanger to hang it on. The room was worse than the cheapest of hotels. _How was he supposed to sleep in here?_ There weren't any real drapes at the windows just some flimsy see-through fabric, half covering the glass. Sighing again, he placed the uniform on the only chair in the room and plonked himself on the narrow bed as he began to remove his other clothing. The whole contraption seemed terribly hard and uncomfortable to his backside. Reaching for his pyjamas, he concluded that he would be more than thankful when he could return to Earth and to the comforts of his wonderfully furnished apartment in Washington.

Then suddenly the lights went out and it became terribly dark as the windows also went black, cutting out any city lights or moonshine. He fumbled around trying to find the light switch. He eventually located the panel after painfully stubbing his toes several times. Nothing happened when he tried it. So he tried opening the door, once again nothing happened. He stood still for a few minutes wondering what to do. He realised that he was well and truly stuck as he had no way of communicating with anyone on the outside. He hadn't been given a radio, which meant he had no other choice than to stumble back to the bed and try to sleep. Someone was bound to come looking for him in the morning. Eventually, he found the small bed, but not before doing more damage to his toes as he collided with the hard metal legs.

" _Someone's head is going to roll for this,"_ he murmured as he lay in the pitch black waiting for sleep to come. And he knew exactly those head to place on the block.

oOo

John was up early the next morning as he couldn't sleep anymore. Not that his night had been restful. Usually, when he woke so early, he joined Ronon for a run but his leg wasn't quite ready for such strenuous exercise just yet. The two friends had gone for a run in the morning for years. Although John didn't always join Ronon now that he had a family to care for, he did make a point to run at least two times a week to keep trim and healthy. As soon as his leg allowed it, he intended to get back into that routine.

As the family were still fast asleep, John decided not to disturb them as the children had no schooling today. Teyla was also free to look after them apart from a short meeting with Woolsey. John was sure Teyla would find someone to look after them during that time. If not, he would take a short break to be with them. He had advised his love to stay well away from Trumble as even her diplomatic abilities could be stretched to the limit. It could also result in the man insulting her in some form or other because of her association with him. Teyla could be very patient and understanding until something upset her, then she could kick-ass. Smiling at that, he quietly dressed before leaving a note on the couch table and heading for the mess hall to get an early bite to eat.

Leaving the mess thirty minutes later, John went to check on things in the control room. It seemed unusually quiet. _If only it was always like this_ , he thought _._ Only then no doubt he'd probably get bored. With nothing better to do, he headed for his office and yet more tedious paperwork. Maybe, just maybe, he'd see nothing of the dreaded general.

Unfortunately, his wishes didn't come true as events unfolded several hours later when a very tearful Corporal Philippi knocked and asked permission to talk to him.

Seeing her so distressed, John immediately went to her and got her to sit down. He quickly poured her a glass of water before asking. "What's got you so upset, Corporal?" As if he didn't already know?

"The General, sir. He storms out of his room dressed only in undergarments. I…I had misfortune to be passing when it 'appen. He is red in face and very angry. Call me…idiot!"

Seeing more trouble on the horizon, John felt his heart sink. It was probably only a matter of time until the man came storming into his office. He knelt down, so they were eye level and calmly took her hand. "Rita, do you know what's wrong? And when did this happen?"

"Fifteen minutes ago." Looking her commanding officer in the eye, the Brazilian Corporal slowly shook her head and continued. "After his nasty word to me, he storms back into room, saying he comes to you about matter." She held up her hands. "I do not know his problem. Sorry, sir."

 _Because he's a big asshole._ John rubbed his forehead before gently squeezing her hand. "You did nothing wrong, Corporal. You always do a very good job of looking after our people and their accommodation. Go take a break now and have something to eat. I guess he'll be here anytime soon. I'll deal with it and find out what's got him so upset. Hopefully, he'll apologise to you."

Rita stood up and nodded. "He not nice man. Not like you. You so good to us. I very happy to serve in your command."

"Thanks, Corporal."

John turned towards the door and realised the dreaded man was standing just over the threshold. He hadn't even asked if he could enter his office. John quickly dismissed the Corporal and watched as she hastily left the room. Luckily, the General didn't try to physically stop her, otherwise, John would have been forced to intervene. There was a good chance the man had heard the Corporal's comments. John intended to make sure Trumble did nothing to affect her career.

Despite looking livid, the General who was dressed in a very crumpled uniform was rooted to the spot. John had no other option but to ask. "Is there a problem, sir?"

Trumble seemed to come out of his trance at those words. He moved forward so fast that John jumped back a pace only to bump into his desk. "A problem! Is there a problem! What the hell for accommodation did that damn woman give me? I have a list at least ten miles long of all the things that are wrong with that terrible room."

John took the opportunity to move back around his desk and sit down. "Why don't you take a seat, General, and tell me about the problem. You look a bit pale."

Trumble was now shaking with rage. He did feel a little light-headed, so he plonked himself down on the chair opposite the desk. Facing the man he loathed, he took a deep breath and spat out. "Let's start with yesterday evening, shall we. Having just got undressed I was heading to bed when the lights suddenly went out. Despite managing to find the switch they failed to come back on. Then the door wouldn't open and I had no way of calling for assistance. Oh, and the windows went completely black, so no light was able to filter in from outside. I slept rather fitfully in a pitch black room. As is usual for a man of my age, I needed the bathroom in the night. Fumbling my way in the dark I managed to find the toilet, but not without knocking into things and causing yet more bruising. Then the toilet decided to flush water all over my pyjamas bottoms, soaking them. I eventually got back to the horrid little bed with wet clothing and yet more bruises. Needless to say, I didn't sleep a wink after that! "

John blinked as he watched Trumble draw another breath. There was still more to come it seemed. "This morning the windows decided to let some light back in so at least I could see what I was doing. Still feeling somewhat annoyed I decided to take a shower. I know this is a strange city, but that Corporal woman who showed me the ropes yesterday assured me, in her very bad English, that the shower unit operated just like one on Earth. In other words simply turn it on and there should be hot water. I stepped in and turned the thing on and brown mud gushes out all over me. Very smelly brown mud like dead fish and sewage. I stood there for a while wondering what to do when clear water suddenly streams out, only it's ice cold. I stood there shivering and suddenly hot water comes out. Very hot, but thankfully not hot enough to burn my skin off. After that, I quickly washed and left that shower well behind me."

By this time, John was finding it very hard not to laugh out loud. Of course, that wouldn't have gone down at all well with the General. It seemed Atlantis didn't like the man either but, usually, she needed someone to initiate the action. Despite the way he felt, John knew it wasn't him. He silently sent her a message asking her to cease as it wouldn't help his case any. The General seemed to have stopped his rant, so John risked saying. "I don't know what to say, sir. That sort of thing doesn't usually happen. It must be a technical problem with those quarters. I'll get Doctor Zelenka to look into it. And for your information…sir, although Corporal Philippi is still learning our language, she is very efficient at what she does. She's made remarkable progress considering she's only been here for nine months. When she came, she only spoke Portuguese and knew very little English."

"You seemed awfully intimate with her when I walked in."

John sighed and quickly answered so as not to give him an opening. "You upset her, sir. I was giving her some reassurance."

"If she were on my staff, she would be out a long time ago," Trumble muttered so low John nearly didn't catch it. His next words were spoken much louder, however. "I want another room! Is that understood!"

"That shouldn't be a problem as the city is big. Only the quarters you were assigned are within the military section and considered large and comfortable. General O'Neill never had a problem with it."

Trumble found a new opening to get at Sheppard. "Whatever, thank God he has finally retired. And if you call that comfort, then you need your eyes testing. I'm sure your rich daddy's house is far more comfortable than that."

John didn't want to get into that. He felt his eyes tear up. He was pretty sure Trumble knew his father was dead, so he said nothing. "Comfort comes in all sizes and considering this city is a base, I'd say it's pretty darn comfortable. A damn sight better than your average military base."

"Then why are the beds so uncomfortably small?"

John couldn't dispute with that. "I have no idea. Maybe the Ancients weren't as tall as us. The ones I've met though have been average. I'll get someone to look for a larger bed for your new quarters."

By this time, the General seemed to have calmed down considerably, although he still looked a little agitated. A silent pause stretched between them until John said. "Is there anything more I can do for you…sir?" He really didn't want to do anything for the man, but Teyla had told him to be courteous.

"There are a hundred and one things I need doing. One of them is removing you from this position of command."

 _Oh, here we go._ "May I ask you why? After all, no one has had a problem with me being here until you came along. In case you're wondering I've commanded this base now for eight years."

"Exactly! You've been here far too long and it's time for a change. Give someone else the chance to run this base more effectively than you have ever managed to do."

John reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a flash drive. Trumble took it reluctantly. "I'll have a computer brought to you in a minute, General. I kindly ask you to read through some of our mission reports. Then you can tell me I'm not fit to command this base any longer. I've been told I'm the foremost expert in dealing with the Wraith, and I believe a number of Wraith Queens would agree with that sentiment. I also carry the strongest ATA gene, which is still needed to operate the Ancient systems, including flying this city."

Trumble stood and thrust the flash drive under John's nose. "Firstly, I don't like using a computer to read reports and secondly, I don't give a damn what they say. You've been here far too long, Sheppard! Once I get back to Earth, I will be recommending your immediate removal to the I.O.A.. Mark my words nothing you do or say will change my mind."

By this time, John was just about ready to forget his promise to stay calm. He counted to ten again before saying. "The I.O.A. has nothing to do with the military operations of this base. It's an Air Force matter. Meaning, they are the only ones to tell me to go. So until I hear from them, I am in command here. I don't think you have any idea what we're up against and seeing as you're not willing to learn by reading those reports, then…please leave my office…sir."

John hadn't expected the man to comply, but Trumble stormed out without another word. John rested his forehead on his desk and clenched his fists. Thumping the surface a few times.

"So you haven't murdered him yet?" A voice growled from the doorway.

John looked up at his teammate and friend. "No, I haven't. But believe me, I've felt like it."

Ronon moved further into the office. "Sure you don't want me to quietly remove him, for you?"

"Na. That would lead to far too much paperwork, and we would have an investigation team snooping about here." By this time, John was quietly congratulating himself for having self-control. He even began to smile.

"What's the joke?" Ronon asked.

"I was just thinking about what happened in his quarters. Seems Atlantis doesn't like him at all, and she caused a few problems during the night. Nothing that would put him in any real danger, but she gave him a real hard time."

Ronon looked puzzled. "She can't think independently, right?"

"No…not that I'm aware of. And before you come to any conclusions, I didn't put the idea into her head. Although someone might have," John had a good idea who that might be, but decided not to mention it. "I'd better contact Radek and get him to look into it. Did you want something, Ronon?"

"Nope. Just keeping an eye on things."

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Deadly Intent

Chapter 10

A few doors down from Sheppard's office, Evan Lorne was just about to enter his latest mission report into his computer when General Trumble barged into his office without so much as a knock. Lorne quickly stood and saluted his superior before saying, "Is there something I can do for you, sir?" Then he noted that the General looked somewhat red-faced. He was also breathing quite heavily. "Please take a seat, sir."

Trumble willing sat down in front of Evan's desk. He looked around the rather unadorned, clinical-looking room with disdain. It seemed almost identical to the one he'd just left with its slatted windows, which would have let in an overwhelming amount of light if left fully opened. He let several minutes go by before he found it necessary to say anything. "How long have you served under Sheppard with the rank of Major?"

Evan had to think for a moment. "Seven years now, sir."

Trumble appeared to wince. "And before that? How long were you a Major serving the SGC?"

"I gained my promotion two years before coming out to Atlantis. Why are you asking, sir?"

The General looked almost pained. "So you've been a Major now for an incredible nine years without any sign of a promotion. You know why, don't you? Sheppard has continually blocked your promotion because he doesn't want anyone threatening his position here."

Lorne tried to look shocked. It was quite obvious Trumble hadn't done his homework and was making assumptions. "To tell you the truth I'm happy with the way things are, sir. Colonel Sheppard is the best commanding officer anyone could ever ask for. He genuinely cares about everyone under his command and would put his life on the line for any one of us. In fact, he has done so on many occasions."

The General completely dismissed Lorne's statement believing it to be totally fabricated. "So you have no desire to take command of this base? Pity really as I believe you would have been the perfect choice to replace Sheppard when he goes," Trumble said, his voice loaded with scorn.

This time Lorne did look shocked. "I didn't know the Colonel was leaving. He's never mentioned anything to me."

"I can assure you it certainly won't be his doing. Rather I intend to replace the man as he has served far too long and has made far too many bad decisions. Cost too many lives. I'm hoping Doctor Ross will sign the bastard off on a medical discharge as that would make things far easier for us to get rid of him."

Evan leant forward to face Trumble head on. He normally didn't use curse words or profanity, but he certainly felt like doing so now. This cold-hearted son of a bitch was leaving a very bad taste in his mouth, and now he fully understood John Sheppard's actions all those years ago. He counted to ten to calm his temper before answering as he didn't want to give the nasty man any reason to demote him from his newly gained position. "Permission to speak freely, sir."

Trumble gave a short nod as he couldn't very well deny the Major a chance to speak. "I personally think you're being unfairly judgemental. The Colonel has done the best he could under the circumstances against formidable enemies. I don't believe anyone could have done a better job. As I said before, he has saved many lives, nearly at the cost of his own on more than one occasion. He has always put the well-being of Atlantis and its personnel first and foremost." Lorne took a deep breath, "You're entitled to your own opinion, sir, but I certainly don't appreciate you calling him a bastard or imply that we also wish to be rid of him." Evan knew that for a fact after talking to his fellow officers and service personnel.

Trumble had gone even redder in the face. "And I totally disagree with you, because Sheppard is a spoilt bastard. No matter your opinion, Sheppard will be leaving at the earliest opportunity. Now if you don't want to be promoted and take over his command that's your loss…Major."

Although Lorne knew Colonel Sheppard didn't want Trumble to know about the promotions yet, he saw no choice but to mention it. Evan just hoped Sheppard understood. "That's Lieutenant Colonel, sir. It isn't official yet, but the Colonel told me only yesterday that my promotion has been approved at long last. Colonel Sheppard has been pushing for my promotion for at least three years now, sir. They always turned him down stating I was still too young and inexperienced. It seems I must have reached the golden age at thirty-seven."

"And you believe him?"

Lorne looked astounded. "Why would he make that up and Mr Woolsey was also present. So I fully believe him. The Colonel doesn't joke about things like that."

Trumble's felt his blood pressure rise again. It seemed no matter what he tried, his plans were coming to nothing so far. He had promised Shen Xiaoyi and the new Russian I.O.A. member Alexei Brezhnev that he would remove Sheppard as quickly as possible. They believed rightly or wrongly that the Colonel's departure would weaken Woolsey's position, so much so that Shen could once again make a bit to take over leadership of Atlantis. Trumble personally didn't think she stood a chance but had been only too willing to move against Sheppard as an act of revenge against the insolent officer. Now he only had a few options left open. Hopefully, Dr Ross would find a reason to recommend his medical discharge or he'd let Corporal Carpenter get to him as the young man hated Sheppard for killing his uncle eight years ago. Nobody seemed aware of Carpenter's connection to Colonel Sumner and that's the way Trumble liked it. Aside from that, Trumble had already assured Carpenter's mother, Sumner's kid sister that he would deal with Sheppard as she didn't believe her son capable of doing so.

Without any warning, the General abruptly stood and walked out of the room leaving Evan bewildered. He was beginning to wonder just how mentally stable the General truly was. He shook his head and quickly got in touch with his CO to explain what had just transpired. Luckily, Sheppard had fully understood and had asked his XO to keep a close eye on the man. He also agreed about the General's seemingly erratic behaviour.

oOo

Woolsey looked up from his desk when a quiet, heavily accented voice asked permission to enter. Recognising one of their resident geologists, Mr Woolsey immediately said. "Ah…Doctor, please take a seat." Dieter Stein quickly nodded and gratefully took a seat in front of the Atlantis expedition leader. When he had settled, Woolsey politely asked. "Now what can I do for you?"

"I wish to ask permission to take our visiting geologist Doctor Finnegan off-world for a trip to M3B 226," Replied the thirty-five-year-old German scientist. The man of average height had neatly brushed blond hair and pale blue eyes. He'd been on Atlantis now for about a year and during that time had made some remarkable discoveries, especially on the planet he wanted to visit. His main interest was mineralogy. He was most fascinated with the complex crystal structures the Ancient's had sometimes used for their conductivity in much of their equipment, ships, weapons etc.. However that wasn't why he was here.

Mr Woolsey moved his hands away from the tablet computer he'd been working on and said. "May I ask why?" At the moment he couldn't recall the planet in question.

"Doctor Finnegan wants to see something unique and extraordinary to Pegasus. M3B 226 has some incredible rock and mineral formations on its southern continent. Some of the best just happen to be located reasonably close to the Stargate. The feature I want to show Finnegan is about an hour's hike, so we should have plenty of time to complete the whole trip in a day if we set out early."

Woolsey held up his hand for a minute and punched the planetary designation into his computer. The information he needed came up immediately. Located on the far side of the galaxy, the planet was relatively small. According to the database, the Ancients had used it for mining crystals for their electronics. Like Stein had said, the planet did seem to be a geological wonder. Woolsey wasn't surprised Finnegan wanted to see it. It was first explored six months ago by SGA12 and they had reported no problems. It appeared the planet was uninhabited, although it was able to support human and animal life. The team had also reported seeing very little in the way of dangerous wildlife and the climate had been mild and calm. It sounded like a good place for an Alpha site, but for some reason, it had been overlooked. Woolsey finished reading the report and looked up at Stein. "You will need a military escort just in case, but I see no reason why you shouldn't go, at least for a short trip. I'll ask Colonel Sheppard to arrange for a team of Marines to accompany you."

That was the last thing Stein wanted. "With all respect Mr Woolsey there really isn't any need to involve the Colonel in this matter. I should have also mentioned that General Trumble wants to tag along. I don't think it would be wise to…er…mix those two elements together. We have all heard the rumours concerning the General's problem with our good Colonel. No?"

"Er…yes," Woolsey replied automatically as he couldn't deny it. He certainly saw the wisdom in Stein's recommendation as it wasn't that unusual for Sheppard not to be involved with military team assignment as he was often off-world or far too busy. In fact, Lorne often did it when Sheppard wasn't available. "Very well, I'll speak to Major Lorne and get him to organise an escort. Maybe the original Atlantis recon team could accompany you as they have had experience with the planet. According to my report, you were with them at the time." Richard pondered out audibly. It wasn't really a question rather an observation.

Stein also wanted to steer Woolsey away from that. Just because he'd been able to slip away and explore alone during the first visit, didn't mean they wouldn't notice it this time around. Especially as there would be more of them. "I believe a couple of Marines should be enough, Mr Woolsey. In fact, when I mentioned the planet to Corporal Carpenter he seemed truly fascinated. The young man has a keen interest in mineralogy for a Marine."

If Woolsey had been paying more attention, he would have realised he was being manipulated into choosing a team. However, he had other things on his mind at the moment, including General Trumble's awful attitude towards his military commander. And yes there had been plenty of rumours. Maybe it would do some good if the General were to go off base for a day. "All right if you can find a few volunteers to go with you, including the Corporal, then you have my permission. When do you intend to go? It will have to be soon as the Daedalus returns to Earth in three days from now. They have a schedule to keep and they have already been delayed by the sickness."

Stein nodded. He had kept himself locked away in his lab and hadn't succumbed to the virus. "The planets daylight cycle of fifteen hours starts during our night-time period, so if I can arrange things we would like to leave the day after tomorrow at 03:00 hours. We should be back by midnight at the latest."

Woolsey nodded. "Very well. However, I want you to check in with us after eight hours regardless of where you are or what you're exploring. Is that understood?" Stein nodded. "All right then take what equipment you will need. Oh, and good luck with dealing with the General. I'll inform Major Lorne first off. Colonel Sheppard will eventually find out as he's bound to want to know where his nemesis has disappeared to."

 _Lucky, the Colonel wasn't cleared for off-world travel otherwise Trumble may have insisted on him as an escort,_ Woolsey considered as Dr Stein left his office. Little did Woolsey know, but that would have been the last thing Trumble and the others would have wanted. Of course, the Atlantis leader had no idea what their real reason for going to M3B 226 truly was.

oOo

Several floors below the command area of the central tower, Dr Julia Ross finally headed for the infirmary after having had a very late breakfast. Julia's guide ambled in front of her giving the doctor plenty of chance to take in the wonderful city. She thought back to the blissful night's sleep she'd had. It had been the main reason why she had overslept. Her assigned quarters were just so wonderful with a spacious living area, comfortable double bed and top of the range bathroom facilities.

Julia had spent yesterday evening taking in the magnificent view of the city from the adjoining balcony while planning what tests she would carry out on the delightfully charming and good looking Colonel. The view and calm atmosphere had left her feeling totally relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever. Everything about Atlantis was so unlike where she lived in Washington. Her small apartment was situated on a busy road, and the continuous noise of emergency vehicles never really gave her any peace, as they raced passed her double glazed windows. That's what came from living too close to your workplace. She really should have looked for a new apartment years ago, but just hadn't found the time with her demanding job at the busy medical facility. Her current department served several Washington based organisations, including the I.O.A., the Department of Aerospace and Homeworld security.

Julia had been in that department for four years now after learning all about the Stargate program. At the time, Julia never thought she would actually get to go to another world yet alone another galaxy. However, she had jumped at the chance when personally asked by Mr Coolidge to oversee an independent medical assessment of Colonel John Sheppard's injury. Julia hadn't been under the impression that Coolidge had been gunning for Sheppard, certainly not like General Trumble always painted it. She had promised the I.O.A. that she would make a fair assessment. From what she'd observed so far, the man seemed perfectly fit and able. However, she intended to go over Sheppard's medical record with Doctor Beckett or the CMO, Jennifer Keller.

Her guide eventually entered what was obviously the main medical facility. It seemed very different from normal hospital wards, although the smell was much the same. Several beds were located along one wall. They appeared unoccupied at the moment. A little further on, they entered another section and Julia realised that this must be the main ward. For one thing, there were more beds in here. Three of them were occupied by patients either resting or reading. They were surrounded by medical equipment that showed their statistics as well as cabinets and well-equipped shelving units. According to Colonel Caldwell, a week ago this place was buzzing with sick people suffering from viral stomach flu or whatever. She'd been told the epidemic was over, so these people must be in for other reasons.

Her thoughts were interrupted when an Asian looking woman stepped in front of her. Julia's guide had already walked away. "Can I do something for you?"

"Yes, I'm Doctor Ross. I'll be conducting a medical evaluation on Colonel Sheppard later today. First, however, I'd like to read his medical record and speak to his doctor, if possible."

"Oh, yes, we were expecting you. I'm Marie Ko the head nurse. Dr Beckett is currently preparing to do a sonogram on Teyla Emmagan to check on her pregnancy, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while to see him."

"And Dr Keller?"

Marie looked apologetic. "We've just received word of an off-world emergency, so Dr Keller and her team have gone to meet them in the gate room."

"I see. You know I'd love to watch Dr Beckett if that's okay with him and his patient. It's been quite a while since I performed a sonogram. Most of my female patients haven't the time for babies." Then she thought - _my goodness that includes me_.

"Wait here a moment while I ask them."

Julia Ross watched the nurse go, wondering who Teyla Emmagan was.

TBC

 _AN:-_

 _Many thanks for the reviews, followers and favourites. It lets me know you're still enjoying this story. Special thanks to a guest who pointed out that a Brazilian Corporal would not be speaking Spanish. Of course not that was a real oversight of mine. It's now corrected and I apologise to any Brazilian readers._


	11. Chapter 11

Deadly Intent

Chapter11

In his office several floors above the infirmary, John thought again about what Atlantis had done to Trumble. Another quiet chuckle left his lips. It served him right for being such a disagreeable ratbag. Although the idea could have been something he might have done. This time it wasn't. He thought about what he knew regarding the cities AI. As far as John understood it, she needed a thought from a strong ATA carrier to initiate such commands, just like a Puddle Jumper. Another way was for someone to sit in the control chair to input commands directly, like initiating the stardrive and flying the city. He quickly called up the logs on his computer and found that no one had used the chair in the last three weeks. Of course, McKay or Radek could have fixed the logs but somehow, he doubted it. Which left only a few of other possibilities, Becket, Lorne or Beth could have initiated it? He honestly didn't think his XO or Carson would have done that. So that left his strong-willed daughter. Sighing he left it at that. If it happened again, he would have to confront her.

Pushing the matter aside, he finally decided to check the flash drive Woolsey had given him the day before. In truth, he'd kind of forgotten about it. Most times it was just routine stuff anyway. Woolsey had mentioned something about an extra data file the SGC had sent him. It was for his eyes only, so it was really time that he read it. He opened the sealed container he kept on his desk to retrieve the flash drive, putting his forgetfulness down to his troubles with Trumble. Moving to his computer, he inserted the drive. First off, he opened the file containing the promotions. Quickly scanning through that he smiled as all the people he'd wanted to be promoted were mentioned. He saved a copy to be printed out later. Of course, he would individually congratulate the men and women as soon as Trumble was out of his hair.

Then John relaxed back in his chair and started to read the private data file. Surprised to see it originated from Jack O'Neill. He suddenly sat upright as he began to absorb the words in front of him. Then a smile slowly spread across his face. For the first time in days, he felt somewhat relieved and maybe, a little annoyed at the same time. His job seemed to be secure enough at the moment, but according to O'Neill, it seemed they were using him to expose rogue I.O.A. members, a senator and several high-ups in the Military. Officers who could have helped Trumble rise from Colonel to a one star General, despite his rather volatile nature. _Oh, just great!_

However, before he could truly digest the information, McKay suddenly bustled into his office without as much as a polite knock. "Ah, there you are. Hiding away again are you?"

"You know one of these days I'll have a locking device put on that door, so no one can enter without my permission," John grumbled. He was just about to tell Rodney his news when he decided against it. As much as he trusted his friend, sometimes Rodney spoke without thinking. "You wanted something?"

"Er…nope," Rodney quickly answered looking a bit uncomfortable. "Well, just wondered if you have time to babysit for an hour?"

John suddenly registered that baby Peter was snugly tucked against his father's chest in his little sling. John quietly removed the flash drive from his computer and slipped it back into the lockable container. "Sorry, I have important things to do."

"Like what?"

John rolled his eyes and sighed. Even after all these years, Rodney still didn't comprehend that the military didn't run itself. In his mind, a grunt simply picked up a gun, one that didn't need maintaining, and waited for the enemy to strike. No organising, no logistics, and definitely, no brains required. Regular training wasn't necessary either even though Ronon frequently beat the crap out of the Marines. Maybe Rodney simply thought Ronon did it just as a hobby. Also when the team weren't away on a mission or there was no crisis to deal with, Rodney still thought John had nothing better to do than to sit on his ass playing computer games or watching sport. _Well, he did sometimes during quiet periods._ Worst of all, Rodney and several other scientists still expected him to initiate Ancient gizmos with his super gene from time to time.

John really didn't feel like explaining things at the present time, but he did anyway. "Like…I have a welcome to my command speak for the new recruits in…," John looked at his watch, "four hours."

"Four hours! That gives you plenty of time to watch Peter." McKay's loud voice almost woke his son.

John winced at the volume and was truly grateful when the baby slept on. Obviously, the little fella was already used to his father's booming tone. "I also have the medical assessment at 13:30 with Dr Ross. Anyway, why can't you keep him with you? Where's Jennifer?" _Or other baby minders come to that,_ John thought.

"Oh, no, no, I have an experiment in my lab that needs checking. You don't honestly think it's safe to expose Peter to it?"

"Why is it that dangerous?"

Rodney's 'umms and ahhs' gave the game away. "Maybe not dangerous, but I can hardly calibrate a delicate Ancient artefact with a baby strapped to my chest."

"And you wife is?"

"She's gone back to the infirmary to help out with an emergency seeing as Carson is currently busy with your lady."

John suddenly sat up straighter and remained stock still, only his eyes roamed down to look at his watch. "It's 11:45 already," he said in dismay.

Rodney nodded. "Yes, so what?"

"I promised Teyla I would come down and be there when Carson did the next sonogram. I missed the first one. Oh God, I'm late!"

Rodney nearly sang, ' _I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date.'_ Thankfully, he didn't. In fact, he kept quiet as John began to remove the baby sling so he could take Peter from him.

"I'll take the little guy down to the infirmary and keep an eye on him while I'm with Teyla. If Jennifer can't have him later, then I expect you to take him back after lunch. Don't forget I have an important medical and I also have to deal with the new guys later. It wouldn't look too good if their CO turned up with a baby strapped to his chest. _He could just imagine what Trumble would have to say to that_. John gently lifted the sling with the little boy still fast asleep as Rodney quickly helped him fasten it around his shoulder.

John moved to leave, but before going through the door, he called back. "You know we really do need to employ a full-time childminder and teacher."

Rodney wondered about that. As much as he loved looking after his son, he just wouldn't always have the time, especially when Sheppard was back to taking the team off-world. Then there were Teyla and Sheppard's children to consider. Rodney knew the Athosian girl Amiera wasn't always available these days as she had a new boyfriend back on New Athos II. Lately, she'd been spending a lot of her spare time with him.

oOo

In the infirmary, Dr Ross continued to wait patiently for the nurse to come back from wherever she had disappeared to. The wait had been quite a while already, and Julia was beginning to grow edgy. Now she knew how some of her patients must feel while they waited for her. She was just beginning to wonder if she should look for someone when two young children approached her. They seemed a little unsure. "Hello there and who are you?" Julia asked.

Beth talked first being a little more confident than her brother around strangers. "I'm Beth. He's my brother Torren. Momma sent us to tell you to come, but we're looking for our daddy."

Just then Marie came rushing in from another direction. "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, doctor. We've just had another emergency to deal with. Dr Cole is in attendance, and I have to get back to help her. The children will show you the way to the examination room where Dr Beckett is waiting."

Although the place seemed fairly quiet to her, Julia began to wonder what really went on behind the scenes. She knew Marie was too busy to ask at the moment, so maybe she could get some information from Dr Beckett.

Before the head nurse could leave, Beth spoke up in her high pitched voice. "Have you seen our daddy, Marie?"

"I'm sorry, Beth, I have not. I'm sure he'll be along soon. Now, will you and Torren please take Dr Ross to the room where your mother is."

Two little heads nodded and Torren held out his hand. "Come with us."

Julia smiled at him and took his hand in hers. Then Beth went the other side and together they left the main ward. The doctor couldn't help thinking what super kids they were and quite good looking too. The little boy had a mop of dark curly hair and a darker skin tone than his sister. The girl was fair-haired and her skin much lighter, almost too pale. Julia vaguely wondered who their daddy was, but evidently, she was just about to meet their mom.

They entered another room a few minutes later and the visiting doctor was surprised to see a serene and very attractive dark-skinned woman lying propped up on a padded table. From the looks of things, she must be between eighteen to twenty weeks along as her stomach had nice little bulge already. However, it was the dark-haired, pleasant looking man that drew Julia's main attention.

Carson stood up and moved around Teyla to shake hands with the lovely doctor. "Hello there, I'm Carson Beckett and this is Teyla Emmagan." Julia moved to shake Teyla's hand and was again surprised by the firm handshake from such a petite looking person. She then shook hands with Beckett as he said. "I'm just about to do the sonogram, but her wayward man has yet to put in an appearance.

"We couldn't find daddy," Torren piped up.

Teyla sighed. "I expect he has something important to attend to. You can take a picture, can you not, Carson?"

"Aye that I can, love."

"You're Scottish? I just love that accent." Julia found herself saying. Then she went slightly red realising how American that sounded.

Carson just laughed. "I've had that said a lot. Why do Americans find British accents so fascinating?"

"We just do. Well, there are some that don't sound so nice, but the same can be said for American accents."

"Aye, you've got that right. Now let's take a look at the baby in a minute, shall we?"

Beth jumped up and down. "Uncle Carson, I want to see the baby now!"

Carson moved back and began to rub gel over Teyla's bare tummy. "You're a mite impatient, young lady. It takes a few minutes to prepare things."

"Why are you putting that gooey stuff on Momma?" Torren asked with big worried eyes.

"That gooey stuff helps the machine to get a better picture of the baby, Torren. Without it, we might not see so much because your Momma's skin would be too dry."

"That's a good explanation, Carson." A deep voice rumbled from the other side of the room. Both Torren and Beth ran to greet the man.

"Daddy, come on we want to see the baby. Oh, you've got baby Pettie with you." Beth shouted.

"That's Peter, sweetheart, and please don't wake him." John moved over to his partner and kissed her on the check. "Sorry, I'm late." Then he noticed Dr Ross. He gave her a nod. "Oh, hi there."

"Hi yourself, Colonel. I didn't know you were a family man?"

John didn't stop to think, the words just came tumbling out. "You mean Trumble hasn't spouted on about me living in sin with an alien woman?" Then he wished he hadn't said it when Teyla gave him a disgruntled look. He quickly bent down and kissed her again. "Believe me that's not my words."

It was plainly obvious to Julia that the two people in front of her loved each other very much. "He did say something like that actually, but I didn't think it was in connection with a loving partner. He just ranted on and on about you being a sinful person in league with the enemy. I'm sure he didn't mean you Ms Emmagan," she quickly elaborated. "To tell you the truth, I kind of switched off and did my best to avoid him during our long trip here."

John rolled his eyes. "I don't blame you. He was probably referring to either Todd the Wraith or the Taliban he claims I collaborated with." There was silence for a minute as Julia didn't know who Todd the Wraith was and Teyla didn't know who the Taliban were. Thankfully they didn't ask. John noted that Carson wasn't listening anyway. He stood mesmerised at the lovely female doctor with a big smile on his face. Smitten already it seemed. John winked at Teyla, and she gave him an acknowledging nod. "Okay, are we going to see our baby or not?" John asked.

That brought Carson out of his daydream. "Oh, aye."

John and the children moved closer to Teyla, so they could see the screen a little better, but Beth was fussing because she couldn't quite see over the top of the table. Julia grabbed a chair and stood her up on it, so she could see properly.

John nodded his thanks. "You okay, Torren?"

The little boy nodded as Carson began to move the scanner over Teyla's bulge. The screen lit up with the image of the foetus. It clearly showed the growing baby as this machine was top of the range that Earth had to offer. Jennifer had ordered the machine during Teyla's first pregnancy. It was used for various other reasons too, including the annual check-up for breast cancer among the female staff. They had yet to find an Ancient machine that actually did ultrasonic imaging. Maybe they simply had gone beyond the need for that as the Ancient medical scanner used a totally different method. Of course, that was also a very useful diagnostic tool.

Although the image was clear enough, it wasn't what Beth wanted to see. She looked almost tearful as she turned to her parents. "Baby looks nothing like Pettie. It's ugly and squiggly, and has too many dotty things."

Teyla exchanged a look with John. He had tears in his eyes for a totally different reason. Seeing his child had been quite overwhelming for the tough Colonel. Teyla didn't really have a good explanation for Beth, she was beginning to regret letting her and Torren come. Surprisingly, it was John who spoke up and not the doctors. "That's because the baby is still growing, sweetheart. At the moment baby could easily fit into the palm of my hand as it's only about this tall." John held his fingers apart to indicate approximately six inches.

Carson didn't comment as he was busy looking at the image. He began taking measurements. Dr Ross was also studying the screen intently. Teyla looked at them as she was worried by their silence. It wasn't the first sonogram she'd had as Jennifer had performed one very early on at eight weeks. Jennifer had announced at the time that everything was fine and it wasn't necessary to do another until now.

John also wondered about their silence. "Is everything okay, Carson?"

Carson straightened up. "Oh aye, everything looks fine. Baby is at the right stage of development." He looked at Dr Ross. "Do you confirm the gender?" The lovely doctor only nodded as it really wasn't her place to say anything. Carson looked away to face the parents. "Although it's quite early to tell the sex of the baby at this stage, in this case, it is clear to see. Would you like to know now or wait until the birth?"

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Deadly Intent

Chapter 12

Both parents looked at each other until Teyla eventually found her voice. "I already have a good idea, but if you agree to it John, then please tell us, Carson."

John looked a little overwhelmed. He nodded anyway, "Its fine by me."

Carson nodded and patted his friend's shoulder. "Poor Teyla will have two lads in the family plus you and wee Beth. Lord, help her."

If anything John looked even more tearful. He didn't take offence to Carson's teasing. He looked lovingly at Teyla. "Another boy that's great." Teyla returned his look. Although she had already guessed it was a boy, she really wouldn't have minded a daughter. Of course, she had Beth their adopted child whom she loved very much. However, she would be very content with another son. He would no doubt be strong with both her and John's genes. She hoped very much that he was a powerful ATA carrier and that he also had the ability to feel the Wraith like she could. Although it was still too early to tell, she had a notion that Torren was strong in that direction so the new baby might also be. With Beth's ATA capabilities their family would make quite a team, no doubt

John turned to Carson and winked. "So you could clearly see his…you know what?"

"Oh, aye. If you look here," Carson pointed to the image, "There's no mistaking the, you know what. Now, I'll run off a few photocopies for you to keep."

Both children had remained very quiet during this conversation, not really understanding what was being said. They had lost interest anyway and were getting a little bored by the whole matter. Beth, in particular, had been very disappointed as she thought the image would be just like the first photographs of baby Peter. They were also hungry. They wanted their lunch and then some playtime afterwards just like momma had promised them.

"Can we go now?" Torren asked impatiently.

Carson had already switched the machine off, and he and John were now looking at the images. Teyla really felt quite comfortable just laying there as a nurse began to wipe her stomach clear of the gel. She didn't feel like moving yet but knew she would have to eventually. "We can go when the nurse has finished cleaning me up and Uncle Carson says we can go," Teyla told them.

Hearing Teyla say that Carson turned to her, "Aye, well as far as I'm concerned you can go. I'll have the blood test results back in a few hours, but I'll only let you know if there's a problem. I'm not expecting there to be as you're doing fine, love. We'll do another scan at twenty-eight weeks or so. Now you don't need me to tell you to eat well and, no putting yourself in danger off-world. Actually, I would recommend no more missions as you've enough to do with looking after yourself and the family."

Teyla know that was sound advice. Although she really didn't like to stop, she now had more than just Torren to think about this time. She nodded. "You are quite right, Carson. I will work from Atlantis, and curtail my off-world trips as they can be quite stressful at times."

John felt relieved that she wouldn't be going off-world for the foreseeable future. He would certainly make sure Mr Woolsey understood that. He also wanted to be officially married to her before she got too big for her wedding outfit. So as soon as Trumble was out of their hair, he planned to do just that. He turned to the children. "I'm a little hungry. As soon as we're finished here we can all go for lunch."

The children seemed to like that idea and squealed quite loudly causing Peter to finally stir from his morning sleep. He opened his bright eyes and blinked up at his Uncle John. Thankfully, he was already quite used to being looked after by him. Even when laid up with his broken leg, John had child-minded as soon as he'd been more mobile.

Julia moved over and looked at the little one more closely. "You're going to have your hands full with four children, Colonel." Then she did the math wondering just how old this baby really was. He looked no more than about three months, which certainly didn't tally with Teyla's current state.

Realising her confusion, John quickly said. "Oh, no, this isn't our child. This is Peter Alex McKay. He's the son of Doctor Rodney McKay and Doctor Jennifer Keller-McKay."

"Did someone mention my name?" A new voice asked. "Oh, John, I'm so sorry. Did Rodney dump Peter on you again?"

"That's okay, Jennifer. Luckily I had a little spare time. By the way, this is Dr Julia Ross who's here to do my medical assessment."

Jennifer shook hands with the doctor. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. This is some infirmary you've got here." Julia said before turning to address Sheppard. "You know I can't see any disability in you at all. I will read the doctors reports and do a quick examination, but I see no reason at the moment to recommend a medical discharge, Colonel. If only my patients were as fit and active as you seem to be."

John smiled at her. "That's a relief."

Teyla squeezed his hand. "It most certainly is," she agreed. Even before this news, she couldn't help noticing that John seemed much brighter than he did earlier this morning. It pleased her greatly as she had been more than concerned about him lately. He had seemed stressed out, what with one thing and another. John was the strongest man she knew, but it had always concerned her that he kept his problems to himself. He had improved in recent years, openly sharing his worries with her, especially since his near-death experience on Calabria with the dreadful plague that had claimed so many lives.

John gladly handed Peter over to Jennifer as the little guy was getting grizzly with hunger. She quickly left the room to find a place to feed him. "Okay, then, let's go eat." He helped Teyla off the table and took the children's hands. "I'll see you at 13:30 hours, Dr Ross."

"Yes, of course, Colonel. It shouldn't take too long." Julia said before turning to Carson. "Now can I please see his medical records, and don't worry there is no way I would want to break up that lovely family. Trumble can go to hell."

"Now, now, Doctor Ross, anyone would think you didn't like the man?"

"How did you guess, Doctor Beckett?"

"Oh, that wasn't too difficult." Carson had had the misfortune to deal with the man during the routine medical check-up required for all visitors, new personnel and returning off-world teams. The General had protested about it not being necessary as he'd been cleared by the SGC before leaving Earth. Carson had told him in so many words that it was protocol and to suck it up. Pushing the horrible General from his mind, Carson looked at his watch. "You know I'm feeling a bit peckish myself, so would you care to join me for lunch before looking at the Colonel's medical file. _Mind you it was quite comprehensive and if she read it all, it could take quite a while,_ Carson thought. Naturally, he didn't mention that to the lovely doctor.

Even though Julia wasn't that hungry having had a very late breakfast, she couldn't resist going with this delightful man, "That would be lovely, Dr Beckett."

"Oh please call me Carson."

Julia nodded as they left the infirmary.

oOo

Four hours later, the moment Julia Ross had been dreading finally arrived. Having been summoned to an office on the command level by General Trumble, the doctor was about to deliver her verdict. She knew very well that the General was not going to like it.

Trumble had commandeered the office in order to drill various military personnel in an effort to find anyone with a grievance about the base or its command structure. So far he'd come up empty-handed as everyone seemed content with the way things were and they all had great admiration for their commanding officer.

The whole frustrating issue wasn't helping the General's foul mood, as poor Julia was just about to find out. Tablet computer in hand, she carefully took a seat in front of the positively unpleasant man. It displeased her greatly that she now had to deal with him after having spent a delightful lunch with Carson Beckett, followed by the pleasant conversation she'd had with Colonel Sheppard. So the quicker she delivered the report, the quicker she could get out of here.

Steeling herself, Julia took a deep breath. "I agree with Doctors Keller and Beckett's verdict. I can find nothing to suggest that Colonel Sheppard is medically unfit for duty. His broken leg has healed very well. He is extremely fit for a man in his age group, especially considering all that he's had to endure since arriving…"

"Enough!"

Julia physically jumped at Trumble's shout. She glanced up at his red and angry face before saying. "I will not give a false report to appease you, General."

"And I brought you here to do just that!" he spat out with a good deal of scorn.

Julia was getting angry. "I beg your pardon! I was asked by Mr Coolidge to assess the extent of the Colonel's injury on behalf of the I.O.A. and the Air Force. I do not recall being asked by you, General. Now if you will excuse me, I wish to take a tour of the infirmary with Doctor Beckett." That wasn't quite a lie as Carson had asked her if she'd like to look into their research methods and see the machines left by the Ancients.

However, she was somewhat shocked by Trumble's hurtful reply. He stood and glared down at her. "I don't care who asked you! You're obviously very incompetent and a totally useless doctor."

Now Julia was really incensed. She stood up to face him. "How dare you question my competence? I'll have you know I've worked at the Lake Medical Center for over ten years, and nobody has ever questioned my abilities. Four years ago, I was given highly confidential access to state secrets simply because I am completely professional and trustworthy. Now if you've finished insulting me, I wish to go. Oh, and I will be making a full report regarding your behaviour, General. I don't know what your problem is, but your hatred of Colonel Sheppard goes beyond excessive."

For once William Trumble was left speechless. _Was she right? Had it all become an extreme obsession?_ An _obsession that was driving him to madness?_ Feeling suddenly shaky, he slowly sank back down into the hard office chair. "You have no idea how I feel. That man disobeyed my direct order. He was disrespectful and arrogant that day in my office. A lowly Major facing down a Colonel. All high and mighty just because he wanted to rescue a few men stuck behind enemy lines before we and the Afghans were ready to do so." The General fell silent after that.

Julia couldn't help thinking. _Good on you John Sheppard_. A man who was unwilling to leave anyone behind and fight for his people was the impression Sheppard had already given her. "Surely after all these years and the outstanding work Colonel Sheppard has achieved since then, could you not find it in your heart to forgive him? If I understand it correctly, he helped save us all from the Wraith when they threatened Earth a few years back?"

"Nonsense that was the timely arrival of Atlantis. They were the ones to save Earth. And Sheppard was the one to wake the Wraith in the first place! They would not have been a threat if he'd kept his nose out of things."

Julia chose to ignore the last bit as she didn't know all the details. "So John Sheppard didn't fly a small ship into the Hive to deliver a nuke? And he wasn't willing to trigger it to save Earth even though it meant losing his own life? Strange I remember reading a secret report that stated that the Hive was destroyed by a nuclear explosion. Luckily, John Sheppard and his team managed to escape just in the nick of time via an onboard Stargate." Julia heard him mutter something like, 'more the pity,' before she spoke again. "Or is there another reason to hate him so much?"

"You bet there and the whole damn family. The Sheppard family were responsible for my family's downfall. His father Patrick Sheppard took millions from us and never gave a dime back! The loss of that money caused my father to lose everything he held dear, including his wife, my mother. She contracted cancer that needed a very expensive treatment, but they were forced to opt for a cheaper method, which proved ineffectual. She died six months later."

Of course, Julia didn't know any of the details about the goings-on between the families. Only she didn't think the Colonel had anything to do with it. "I'm sorry about your mother, but blaming the son for the father's possible mistakes is very unfair."

"It was no mistake! That very same father poured money, our money into the best lawyers he could get. They went on to save his son's bloody neck when he should have been court-marshalled and sent to Leavenworth for years. Insolent, disobedient, spoilt brat! He dared treat me, the best officer the Air Force ever had, with such contempt!"

After listening to the General's ramblings for several weeks and right now, Julia decided there was something seriously amiss about the man. She had briefly touched psychology in medical school, so she didn't have too much knowledge. Knowing she needed to do something, Julia decided she would mention it to Carson and maybe together they could inform the base psychologist. Now for her own sanity, she needed to leave before it got any worse.

Standing, Julia said. "You can think what you like, General, but I will not change my report just to satisfy your vendetta."

"Well, it will certainly change mine. I will be filing a report saying how incompetent you are which will ruin your career. Of course, if you don't want that, then I suggest you change your mind."

"Not ever happening, even if you hold a gun to my head!" Julia called as she left the room. She didn't see the General sweep everything off his desk in a fit of rage.

That's how Doctor Finnegan found him ten minutes later. "You know you'll give yourself a stroke one of these days. Why don't you calm down? Once we've got what we came for, you can go back to Earth and retire in comfort."

"Not until I've made sure John Sheppard is no longer breathing."

Finnegan just shook his head. How did it go from just wanting to remove the man to now wishing him dead? "Whatever you say, but they're bound to find out if you murder him. Then it will be a prison for you if Sheppard's people don't kill you first. I hear Ronon Dex is very protective of his friend."

Trumble didn't say a word, so Finnegan decided to leave him to stew. However, before leaving the office, he turned back to say. "Just stay away from Sheppard and don't ruin things before our trip off-world tomorrow night. In fact, I will be resting up tomorrow and getting some sleep in as we'll need to be ready at 03:00 hours. I suggest you do the same, General."

As Finnegan left the office, he clearly heard the General mutter, "Fat chance on those damn uncomfortable beds around here!" Because despite having a different room and a bigger bed, Trumble's opinion hadn't changed.

TBC

 _Thanks for the lovely reviews. Keep them coming please._


	13. Chapter 13

Deadly Intent

Chapter 13

Julia Ross neared the infirmary a few hours later than she had intended. Instead of going straight there after her confrontation with Trumble, she had felt the need to clear her mind and get some fresh air. Wandering around a bit she had eventually found her way to one of the lower terraces, one that appeared to have a driving range for golf. Although there was no actual course beyond the platform, just open water. There she had met a pleasant scientist named James Watson. They had talked a little about the range being Sheppard's idea, but that the Colonel didn't get to use it much these days. Then the man had talked enthusiastically about how Doctor Beckett had saved his life some years back. The only thing that had puzzled Julia was the way the man had referred to the good doctor. It had almost sounded as if Carson Beckett were dead. She never had the chance to ask him why before he'd been called away by his boss Doctor McKay. After that, she had sat a while to watch the ocean waves hoping they would calm her fury with General Trumble. It had worked a bit. However, she still wanted to speak to Carson Beckett concerning his behaviour. Hence the main reason for her trip back to the infirmary.

It had actually taken her a lot longer to get back from the lower city area than she would have liked. At one stage she had been well and truly lost. Luckily she had met someone willing to guide her back. Entering the infirmary at long last she was confronted by the loud cry of a child in distress.

"All right, Beth. I'll give you something to stop the pain in a minute. Then I'll thoroughly clean the nasty cut before applying some healing cream and a nice big bandage." Carson's lovely Scottish lilt advised the sobbing child. "And then you can have a lollipop if her mom allows it."

Julia entered the examination room just in time to see Teyla nod her head while she held her very distraught daughter close. The visiting doctor moved over to Carson as he prepared an injection, no doubt filled with a quick-acting painkiller. "May I have a look?" she asked over the child's continuing distressed.

"Aye, you may. Marie will be back in a minute with the necessary equipment to clean the cut. I don't believe it needs any stitches."

Julia quickly put on some gloves that Carson handed her and bent down. She gently looked at the wound and talked to the little girl as Carson prepared the injection site. "I agree, it's not a deep as it looks. How did you manage to do this, Beth?"

Beth didn't answer. Instead she continued to sob as her hand really hurt. She cuddled into Teyla's neck as Carson injected the painkiller. Thankfully, it began to take effect almost immediately, and Beth began to calm down.

Teyla sighed with relief at the silence that followed. "She fell against our coffee table and knocked over a glass of fruit juice. The glass broke and she accidentally put her hand down on it. The accident would not have happened in the first place if she and Torren would pick up their toys when I ask them to. I hope you have learnt something from this injury, Beth?"

The little girl gave a shuddering sob and nodded. "I want my daddy."

"I do not think Daddy will be very pleased either. He has also asked you to keep the floors clear of toys when you have finished playing with them. Remember how good you were when Daddy had his broken leg." The little girl nodded again. "Shall we try to be better in future as I do not want any of us to break a leg or have another nasty cut? I shall also be speaking to Torren as he is just as guilty as you are. Now Uncle Carson will clean your cut and then you can have a lollipop."

"Can I have one too?" John asked as he entered the room behind Marie. Teyla actually rolled her eyes just as Beth started crying again. Carson had begun to clean the cut and John wondered if it was hurting her. He quickly went over and gave her a hug. "Does it hurt that much or are you crying because you think I'm going be angry with you?"

A little head nodded. "Doesn't hurt so badly now, daddy."

"That's good. I heard what your mother said and I agree with her, you really should be tidier with your toys. I'm not going to shout at you as I'm willing to give you and Torren a chance to improve. If you don't, I won't be very happy neither will your mom." John gave Teyla a quick smile before looking at his daughter's hand. "That is a nasty cut, but it will heal. You know it could have been far worse, like on your arm or some other place. So no more leaving things to fall over. Okay?"

Beth's little head nodded once again, "Yes, daddy." She watched as Carson applied some cream and then wrapped her hand in a bandage. "Can I have a lollipop now?"

"Aye that you can. Then you can go home. And like your parents said, pick up your toys in future." Carson said as he handed her a lollipop. Beth nodded again as she removed the wrapper and started to lick the sweet. Carson watched her for a second satisfied that she seemed brighter now. "She shouldn't have any problems as the cut was clean. I've applied an antibiotic cream and we'll change the bandage tomorrow morning. If she has some pain you can give her some liquid ibuprofen, but only if really necessary. Have you got any?"

"Yes, we still have some from Torren's last fall when he hurt his ankle," Teyla said.

"I think Jennifer saw to that as I wasn't here at the time."

"Yeah, that was about seven months ago now," John added. "I think the medicine was dated until the end of 2014. If not I'll come and get a new bottle."

"Okay, that will be fine," Carson answered. "I'll see you tomorrow then Beth."

The little girl didn't answer as she didn't like being in the infirmary, so Teyla answered for her. They said their thanks and left a few minutes later.

When they were gone Julia turned to Carson. "She was trying her hardest to be so brave."

Carson smiled. "Aye, she's a plucky little lass."

"A bit like her father then. I've read his medical file and quite frankly, I'm surprised he's still alive."

"You can say that again. He's been through an awful lot since we first came eight years ago. Mind you a lot of us have, it's just that he seems to attract even more trouble than most." Carson considered his words for a moment. "You know Beth isn't his biological child. She was the infant he rescued from the planet with the nasty virus outbreak."

Julia looked surprised. "Really? His file mentioned the fact that the Colonel had contracted the virus from a child, but I never realised it was that lovely little girl."

"That whole incident finally brought John and Teyla together and made them realise how much they love each other. Teyla already had Torren from her previous relationship with one of her own people. Sadly, he was killed shortly after we all returned from Earth."

"So if that hadn't of happened they won't be together and expecting a child?"

Carson looked thoughtful. "You know I've never really thought about it, but it could well be that Teyla would still be with Kanaan. Although, if John had made his feelings clearer she may not have turned to another. I believe those two always had a thing between them right from the beginning. Nothing sexual mind you, but the connection was there. John was a bit of a flirt with off-world women at one stage. As Rodney used to say, a bit of a Kirk."

"That I can believe. He is a very attractive man." Julia said with a smile.

"Oh aye, if you ignore the hair."

Julia laughed. "Oh, I don't know I find it rather endearing."

Carson shook his head. "Whatever. Then there was the fact that Teyla was on his team for over five years. That's what really kept them apart I believe. John was also wary of another commitment after his failed marriage some years before coming to Atlantis."

Julia didn't say anything to that. "Well, the Colonel needn't worry about a medical discharge as I told General Trumble there is no reason why he should not continue in active service. I might add the General was not at all pleased to hear that."

"Oh, I can imagine that. God only knows why he hates John so much."

"What do you think of his mental state?"

Carson waved his hand in front of his face. Although he knew as a doctor he really shouldn't use the universal hand gesture to imply insanity. However, he genuinely believed that Trumble wasn't quite sane. "I took the liberty of looking at his medical record that Dr Reynolds on the Daedalus kindly supplied me with. Unless it's been altered in some way, which is illegal of course, he passed his last psychological evaluation six months ago."

Julia was stunned to hear that. "Whoever did the evaluation must be incompetent or they were told to pass him. It's been a long time since my medical training, but if I'm not mistaken that man is showing signs of obsessive, psychotic behaviour."

"My thoughts exactly. All we can do, at the moment is keep an eye on him. We can't force him to speak to Dr Robinson who's our resident psychologist or take action against him unless he poses a threat to himself or someone else. However, Mr Woolsey and Colonel Sheppard will have to be informed. Sorry, that's all Dr Keller or I can do at the moment. I'm sure the Colonel already knows how crazy his behaviour is. He told me how Trumble has been trying his hardest to get him to hit out."

"Then Trumble could have him for assault on a senior officer."

Carson nodded. "Luckily, he's managed to keep from doing it. I just hope to God he doesn't succumb to the temptation as I'm sure that would cause an awful lot of trouble and upset for everyone. You've probably notice how close the people on Atlantis are. We're a tight-knit family unit, especially the longest serving. The Colonel, in particular, is very much respected, along with Doctors McKay and Zelenka."

Julia nodded. "I have observed it. I'm sure after all this time it's only natural that you've all become so close. Like you mentioned, especially the original members."

"Aye, the surviving ones. Unfortunately, we've lost a few over the years. Doctor Elizabeth Weir, Peter Grodin, Lieutenant Ford, Carson Beckett, Dr Gall to name but a few." Then Carson realised his mistake seeing the shock on Julia's expressive face. "Me and my big mouth. And before you ask that Carson was the original, I'm an exact copy of him in every way right down to the last cell. I even have his memories."

"You're a clone?"

"Aye that I am. I'll let you read the report regarding Michael and what happened to him and why he ended up creating me. It's a long report, but I'm sure you'll find it interesting even if you end up disapproving of the deceased Carson Beckett's work. And please don't dismiss me because I'm a clone."

Julia slowly got over her shock. After all, they were in another galaxy, so anything was possible. She looked him in the eye. "I would never do that to you. I'm just amazed by it."

"Michael was one clever bugger. We haven't even come close to beginning able to create a clone copy, yet alone one with all the memories of the original." Pausing for a minute, Carson let her digest that information before suggesting. "How would you like to go for a coffee with me? I'm getting a little thirsty?"

"Me too, so I'd love to, Carson."

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Deadly Intent

Chapter14

After leaving the infirmary, Teyla and Beth they went back to their quarters where Torren was waiting with his childminder. John returned to his office as he still had a couple of hours of duty time before he could call it quits for the day. He decided to call in the men and women whose promotion had been approved. Now that Lorne had been forced to inform the General of his new rank, there wasn't any point in keeping it secret anymore.

Although it happened all too frequently, John noted that the tension on the base had steadily increased over the last day or so. It was the very nature of their location and the continuous threat of an enemy attack that normally caused such apprehension. This time around it seemed Trumble's presence was having an adverse effect on morale throughout the city, especially among the military personnel. John didn't like that situation one bit as a disheartened crew could endanger the city or be a distraction on off-world missions. Well, at least some of his people were about to receive some good news, including gate technicians Amelia Banks and Chuck Campbell.

Over the next hour, one by one John congratulated the newly promoted, telling them that they would have an official ceremony just as soon as the General was out of their hair. No one uttered their disapproval of that decision. In fact, most of them expressed their desire to see the General leave when the Daedalus did. Of course, they couldn't come straight out with it and condemn the high ranking officer, but their facial language said it all. They were also concerned about the General's disrespect for him. John assured them that he would do his best to keep things as they were.

Lt. Colonel Lorne arrived last of all. Once again he apologised for letting the cat out of the bag. John screwed his face up at the mention of a cat but dismissed it because it was just a harmless idiom. He got Lorne to sit down so they could talk over some staff reshuffling and the like, anything other than the dreaded General and his menacing presence.

Several hours later, John finally entered the family quarters to find the floor completely free of toys. Torren was reading a storybook while Beth quietly played with a wooden figure of a horse-like creature that Halling had carved for her. There was no sign of Teyla.

"Hi kids, it's great to see a clear floor. Well done. Keep up the good work. Now, where's your mom?"

Torren put down his book and ran over to him, throwing his arms around John's good leg. "In the kitchen, daddy, making soup."

John tried not to show any distaste at that. Teyla tried very hard, but culinary skills just weren't her thing. They had never been. "Really? Hope it's not that Tuttle root soup." The children turned their noses up at that because, like their daddy, they weren't too keen on it either.

John decided to go and investigate. He found Teyla sitting quietly mixing a few things in a bowl. John peered over her shoulder and looked into it. The contents smelt vaguely floral. He bent down and lightly kissed her cheek. "What kind of soup is that then?"

Teyla looked up at him with a surprised expression. "Soup? What gives you the impression it is soup?"

"Torren said you were making soup."

Teyla laughed. "I believe he misunderstood me. I am making some Athosian soap as Amiera brought me some dried flowers, essential oils and other necessary ingredients when she came to visit yesterday."

"Amiera was here?"

"Yes. However, she did not stay long as she wished to return to help gather the ground berries as they are ripe and plentiful on New Athos II at the present time. Anyway, I did not want the children in the kitchen because soap making is a little messy and I wished to make some gifts for friends. When they are older, the children can certainly help me if they want to."

"Okay." John really didn't have much of a clue about soap making, and he was slightly surprised to learn that Teyla was interested in that sort of thing. The one thing he did know was that soap needed some form of oil and caustic soda. "I can see why you didn't want the children's help as that stuff can be lethal. I hope you're being careful?"

At first, Teyla wondered what John meant and then it dawned on her. "I did not make the basic soap myself as that has to be done with great care. Amiera brought me some bars of pure natural soap. I warmed them in the microwave then added fragrant oils, colours and flowers. Now I am nearly ready to pour the liquid into some forms that the chief cook kindly gave me." She held up a silicon cake mould for John to see.

"How much longer do you need then?"

"Not much longer as I have already done the most. When this one is finished, we can go to the mess for supper." John's stomach chose that moment to rumble in agreement. They laughed as Teyla stood to pour the last of her soap concoction into the mould. "You seem happier today?" she commented.

"Yeah, I received a message from General O'Neill. He told me they have no intention of replacing me and they even have the President's backing on that. Also that I was to keep my ear to the ground as they believe certain elements are trying to undermine Stargate operations yet again. Believe me, it's not the first time an I.O.A. or government official has tried to bully their way in. Guess it won't be the last."

Teyla reached out to kiss him. "Well, at least we will not have to worry about your position here being in jeopardy. At least for the time being. You know I would go wherever necessary to be with you, even if it means not seeing my people as much."

John silently thanked her for that with a gentle kissed on her lips. "I hope it never comes to that. Atlantis is my home. I don't think I could settle back on Earth even with you and the kids by my side. That aside and talking about your people, tomorrow is Sunday, so I was wondering if you'd like to go and see them. And those ground berries sound very appetising. If I remember rightly they're something similar to wild strawberries on Earth. I'm sure the kids will love them."

"And no doubt you too."

John smiled. "Yeah, that's one fruit I could never get enough of. We could also talk to Halling about the final arrangements for our union ceremony. I really don't want to leave it much longer. At the moment things are quiet with the Wraith but that could all change and…."

Teyla silenced him with her own kiss. "Have no fear, John, we will be married soon. And I would love to go and see my people tomorrow. I must also speak to Amiera and see what she plans for the future. I had the feeling yesterday that going back to pick ground berries wasn't the only reason for her quick return. If she no longer wishes to stay on Atlantis because of her new found love, then we will need to find another childminder as I wish to resume my liaison work for the coalition as soon as possible." She could see John was about to protest, so she quickly added. "Much organisation can be done from Atlantis. However, having the children around does not allow for much peace to concentrate on it."

"Yeah, I know. Unfortunately, it also seems that Angie has an important project going on at the moment, which means she has less time for their lessons." He sighed. "I'll talk to Richard again and ask him if we're getting a full-time teacher anytime soon. In the meantime, if we could find one of your people willing to do it that would be great. It would help the kids as I know you want them to learn all about Athosian culture and language."

Teyla nodded. She covered the soap mould with a cloth. John left her to it while he went to get the children ready to go for supper.

oOo

Much to John's relief, he never encountered the General at all during supper or breakfast the following morning. It seemed the man had decided to leave him alone at the moment, which suited John just fine.

Entering the gate room with his family, John was surprised to find Ronon and Amelia waiting for them. "What are you guys doing here?"

Ronon straightened from his slouched position. "We're going too. You okay with that?"

Amelia looked at Ronon. "I thought you'd already asked the Colonel? I'm sorry, sir, I…."

John held up his hand. "It's alright, Amelia." He turned to Teyla and she nodded. "I'm sure the Athosians won't mind at all. And when we're off duty you can drop the sir bit, you know that." He had requested it because the technician was officially Ronon's girl and maybe one day soon his wife.

Amelia nodded. "Yes, I do but that…," She looked around for a moment as if checking before whispering, "That overbearing General could be within listening distance, so I'd rather use it at the moment just in case."

John smiled at her. "Thanks, Amelia. Hopefully, he'll be out of our hair soon, then things can get back to normal," he added.

The children were beginning to get a little impatient with the adults. They wanted to go and play with the Athosian children. Beth tugged on her father's arm while Torren looked at him with pleading eyes that he had quickly learnt could get him almost anything he wanted. John exchanged a smile with Teyla. He made to tell Chuck to dial it up when a voice with a very clear Scottish accent called.

"What's this then? Going off-world without my approval are we, Colonel?"

John froze and turned to face his friend. He noted that the lovely Julia Ross was with him. "Carson, it's not a mission. We're going to visit Teyla's folks."

"Oh, aye, and where's your walking stick then?"

Rolling his eyes, John put on a smile. "I really don't need it anymore. My leg's fine." He didn't admit that he hadn't used it now for a day or so. Well, ever since just after Trumble's arrival. And he wasn't lying when he said his leg felt good.

"Can we go now, daddy?" A little voice interrupted. Torren was getting really fed-up with the delay.

Teyla decided to move things along a bit. "Why not come with us, Carson? And you are also welcome to accompany us, Dr Ross, as I am sure you would enjoy seeing another world."

"Oh, I'd love to! Thank you for inviting me."

Carson smiled. That was just what he wanted to happen without even having to ask. "That's a grand idea," he said. "Then I can keep an eye on our wayward Colonel here and make sure he doesn't overdo things." John rolled his eyes again and was just about to order a dial-up when Rodney and Jennifer arrived with baby Peter.

"Hope you don't mind, but could we join you? I had to practically drag Rodney away from his lab as he doesn't seem to understand what Sunday means anymore." Jennifer asked before Rodney could say anything.

"Why not. The more the merrier." John commented as Teyla voiced her agreement. "Dial it up, Chuck or we'll never get out of here."

Down below in a side corridor, away from the Gate's departure area, a solitary figure stood watching as the event horizon spring to life. A satisfied smile crossed Finnegan's face as the small group stepped through the Gate. Now he could prepare for their departure later without having to worry about Trumble and the Colonel clashing. For two days now, the geologist had been on edge wondering if the General would ruin everything for them. Not that he really needed the General once the man had smuggled the items onboard Caldwell's ship. The Colonel certainly wouldn't question a General or search his belongings for illegal merchandise before heading back to Earth. Still smiling, the visiting geologist headed to meet with Dieter Stein to make the final arrangements.

Unfortunately for Finnegan and his plan, at that very moment, Colonel Caldwell had just entered the control room with news concerning a change of schedule. Steven had really wanted to speak to Sheppard. He sighed heavily when told that the Colonel had already departed through the Stargate. No matter, Sheppard would find out soon enough when he returned. With one last glance at the now silent Stargate, the commander of the Daedalus turned tail and headed for Woolsey's office. Chuck watched him leave and wondered what was going on. The technician had relayed an urgent message to Colonel Caldwell about an hour ago during a routine check-in with SGC. Something must be up as the Colonel didn't look at all pleased.

Richard Woolsey looked up to greet Caldwell as the man strode into his office. He also wondered what was going on as the Colonel had kept out of their way for days now, stating that he was needed onboard for various reasons. Of course, everyone knew it was mainly to avoid the General. He noted Caldwell's tense posture, so he immediately offered the officer a seat.

Caldwell took it with a sigh as Woolsey asked. "What can I do for you, Colonel?"

"Sheppard is not going to like it, as I've been ordered to return to the Milky Way without delay. Seems the Apollo has run into a little trouble and may need some backup."

Woolsey looked surprised. "Surely even at full speed, it will take many days to reach them?"

"I know that, but it doesn't change the fact that I've been ordered to leave Atlantis immediately as you currently don't need any assistance."

"And where does that leave us? Will we be stuck with the General?"

Steven's sighed even louder. "I've already informed him of our intended departure, but the man is refusing to leave saying his work here isn't done yet. I'm afraid that means you're stuck with him for the foreseeable future. I've also just learnt that Doctor Ross has gone off-world to New Athos II with Sheppard and the others, meaning she can't return either. Under the circumstances though, I guess that's not such a bad thing as we won't be going straight back to Earth. I only hope Sheppard doesn't do anything rash because the General is staying longer than expected."

It heartened Woolsey a great deal to know how Caldwell felt about the younger Colonel now. He knew there had been a conflict between the two of them in the early days. Surprisingly over the years, Sheppard must have earned Caldwell's undying respect.

Woolsey tried to reassure the Colonel with his next statement. "We'll do our utmost to keep the peace and once the General has finished with whatever he still needs to do, we will open the Stargate and boot him…I mean send him through, along with the others directly back to Earth."

Grateful for that, Caldwell nodded. "Well, I'd best prepare for our departure then. Tell Sheppard I'm sorry that I couldn't take the General out of his hair." With that, the commander left to head for his ship having completely forgotten about the other visitor to Atlantis, a certain Doctor Frank Finnegan.

TBC

 _Thanks for reading so far and the nice reviews._


	15. Chapter 15

Deadly Intent

Chapter 15

Spending quality time with his family and friends on New Athos II had allowed John to truly relax and forget about his adversary for the first time in days. Upon arriving, John and Ronon had spent time playing with children in an impromptu game of soccer. John had appointed himself referee as his leg wasn't quite up to kicking a ball around a large field yet. No doubt, Carson would have had a thing or two to say if he hadn't used his own common sense. They had even forced Rodney to join in, although he had moaned about it the whole time until John had appointed him goalkeeper for Ronon and his kid's team. After that, they had lost big time to the older children. Not that the game had been all that serious as the younger children didn't seem to understand some rules, especially the need for team cooperation and not kicking the ball to a member of the opposing team.

Not wanting to join the game, Carson had taken Julia Ross to look at the settlement. And although it was supposed to have been a pleasure trip, the two doctors had ended up treating a few minor injuries and illnesses. Teyla, Amelia and Jennifer with baby Peter had stayed to watch the men fool about with the children. Eventually, Teyla had called John over as Halling wished to discuss further details concerning their ceremony. That had taken them about an hour and afterwards, they had all been invited to join in the afternoon meal of sweet pastries, ground berries, tea and fruit juices, mainly for the children. Rodney had moaned a little about the lack of coffee, but Jennifer had quickly shut him up.

Now it was time to return to Atlantis as it was nearly the children's bedtime. They moaned a little about having to leave, but one look from their father told them he was having none of their nonsense. Saying their goodbyes, they all headed for the Stargate.

Once home, the friends quickly parted, each going to their respective quarters. Woolsey watched them from his position above the Stargate and sighed, they looked so rested and happy that he decided not to burden the Colonel with the news of the Daedalus's departure. That could wait until the morning when General Trumble would be off base anyway.

Back in their quarters, John ushered the children to get ready for bed as it was fairly late already and tomorrow they had an early lesson with Angie Clarkson as she actually had a few hours free time from her research. It really wasn't fair for the young scientist, and John really did intend to press Woolsey again about getting a full-time teacher. After their bath time and a bedtime story, the kids were finally tucked up in bed. It didn't take them long to drop off.

Teyla quietly left their room after checking on them. She moved over to sit by John on the couch. "They are asleep already. They must have been very tired."

"Yeah, all that fresh air and running around. I don't think it will take much for me to drop off either."

Teyla smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "It was a lovely day. Thank you for suggesting it."

John gently hugged her and returned the kiss. "Yeah, when we get the chance we should do it more often."

"That would be lovely. Are you happy with our joining ceremony arrangements so far?"

"Teyla, everything is great. Your people seem really excited about it and are going to great lengths to make it a really special day for us. Trumble will be out of our hair the day after tomorrow, and then we can make the final arrangements and set a definite date. Quicker the better as I can't wait for us to be officially joined."

Teyla nodded as they held each other close. She guessed that one of John's reasons was because he was concerned that something would happen to delay the whole matter yet again. She prayed to the Ancestors that things remained calm and no enemies or other threats arose. Turning her thoughts back to more pleasant ones, she said. "Carson seems somewhat taken by Julia Ross."

John smirked, "Totally smitten. Good on him. I haven't seen him quite so besotted since Laura." Then he suddenly realised what he had just said. "I meant original Carson. You know sometimes I forget he's not the Carson we first came with. He's just so much…."

"Like him." Teyla finished. John nodded as Teyla added. "I feel that in spirit he is our Carson. I am sure that Carson would have reacted to the lovely Julia in just the same way."

"More than likely. And if she wants to join us here, I'm sure that can be arranged." John held her close. "I'd like to see Carson settled too. He deserves some happiness in his life."

"Yes, that would be wonderful." Teyla cuddled into her love thinking how very happy she was now. John had given her strength to carry on and to truly love again after the death of Kanaan. Now she could openly admit that she loved this man from another galaxy more than life itself. That she always had done so since the day she had met him. And soon they were to be joined in a union until death parted them. Hopefully, when they were both very old.

A few hours later, they were tucked up in their own bed. Teyla had no problem dropping off almost immediately as she was exhausted. Not only because of the busy day she'd had but the wonderful lovemaking they had undertaken after the children had gone to sleep. However, despite being equally fatigued, John still found sleep didn't come easily for some reason. Maybe he was overtired, although more than likely it was still the underlying fact that Trumble was still here for a few more days.

Eventually, he managed to clear his mind and finally drop off.

oOo

A little way off in the gate room at exactly 03.00 hours, a small group comprising Trumble, geologists Finnegan and Stein and their military escort Corporal Carpenter and Private Selkirk, gathered before the Stargate with a small amount of equipment. Nobody thought much of it as the only people to see them off were the night duty staff. Although they had been informed of the departure, they weren't all that interested. Nobody liked the General, so it was a small relief to see him leave base if only for a day. In fact, there was a collective sigh once the man finally stepped through the event horizon.

Glorious morning sunshine greeted them on the other side of the Stargate. Finnegan took in the splendid landscape with its multicoloured rock towers and pinnacles. His excitement grew as he turned to his fellow geologist. "My goodness, Dieter, you weren't kidding when you said this planet had some fantastic rock formations! I don't think I have ever seen anything quite so spectacular on any other planet I've ever visited. Believe me, there have been quite a few throughout the Milky Way. Do other planets in Pegasus equal this one?"

Dieter Stein shook his head. "No, not as far as I've ever encountered. All the others I have been to have been quite boring. All trees and not so interesting landscapes, looking very much like Earth in many places. I am thinking this is maybe why the Ancients mined here as it is the only place we know of with such important crystal structures that are easily available. Now we must proceed to our destination if we are to make it in the time constraint given to us by Woolsey. It is a little trek from here, but we should arrive in an hour's time at a brisk walking pace."

Although Doctor Stein's English was very good, it was heavily accented. Nobody noticed General Trumble's scowl behind the man's back as he found Stein's voice somewhat irritating. Also, the mention of such a long trek hadn't left him overjoyed. Trumble really didn't want to be here at all, but the promise of riches beyond belief had lured him. He had other plans, once they returned to Atlantis. Big ones. With Caldwell out of the picture, he intended to take command of the military until a suitable replacement could be found. Then when things were settled and Sheppard deposed, he could return to Earth and happily retire. The riches they found today would certainly go a long way to making that a very comfortable future indeed, assuming that the idiot Stein was right about the find being highly valuable.

Trumble looked around before setting off behind the geologists. The place didn't look very promising to him. He wondered why they found it so interesting. To him, it looked somehow creepy with strange colourful rocks sticking up all over the place at odd angles and very little in the way of vegetation growing between them. In his opinion, the planet certainly wasn't very impressive at all, although he kept it to himself for now.

Weighed down by an equipment bag and a fairly heavy case, the Corporal had taken up their six as they trudged along the rocky route that only Doctor Stein knew. Stein may not have seen the General's scowl, but Trumble had failed to register Corporal Derek Carpenter's look of disdain aimed directly at his back every few minutes. His first grudge was the fact that the General wasn't helping to lug any of the equipment as he briskly walked along swinging his arms and secondly, Carpenter considered the officer to be an overbearing idiot. Certainly not worthy of his respect. Despite Carpenter's feelings about Sheppard over his uncle's death, he did have admiration for the Colonel's style of command and obvious bravery. And readiness to pull his weight as he was sure his CO would have willingly helped carry some equipment.

The twenty-three-year-old corporal had been stationed on Atlantis for a short while now. So far he'd been fortunate enough not to have witnessed a Wraith feeding firsthand. Other Marines had, and they had been very convincing when telling the horrendous tales of the agony a Wraith feeding caused a victim. It made the Corporal begin to wonder if Sheppard's action had been one of mercy like he'd always claimed. Every time Carpenter considered that doubts began to form as he just couldn't believe it was as bad as he'd been told. On the other hand, why did Sheppard openly admit to killing his Commanding Officer in the first place? He could have just written in his report that the Colonel had died while in captivity due to the Wraith feeding on him. Then there was the fact that a copy of a false mission report had somehow come into his possession. Carpenter well remembered the awful day about a year ago when he'd found out about how his uncle had died because of another officer's action. At the time he couldn't understand why Sheppard hadn't been arrested for murder. For a while, the memories had been overwhelming while he tried to come to terms with it. A few months later, he conveniently entered the Stargate program and had finally learnt the full truth surrounding his uncle's death. It was a truth that he couldn't even tell his mother about. So she would never know how her brother had really died, although General Trumble had told her about Sheppard's involvement. Almost stating word for word what was written in the false report. Shortly after that, he'd been posted to Atlantis. Since then, confusing thoughts had continued to plague him until he didn't know what to think anymore. That was until the General arrived a few days ago. In a private meeting, Trumble had fed him with stories of Sheppard's previous deeds and killings until his doubts about the Colonel's innocence had begun to fade. Although he still couldn't believe the man he saw interacting with his family, friends and men could be capable of such callous acts.

Carpenter turned his attention to Private Selkirk, wondering why Doctor Stein had asked the tense young marine to join them. Derek hadn't had much to do with him, but he'd heard from others that the kid had recently had a very bad experience with a Wraith nearly feeding on him. He guessed the private wanted to hit it rich, so he could head back to Earth.

It took them well over an hour to reach their destination, mainly because Trumble and Finnegan had been unable to keep up a decent walking pace. The General had an excuse due to his age, but Finnegan's was nothing other than being in poor physical shape. Too many hours working in labs when he wasn't exploring alien planets. He'd at least had the decency to admit it. Both were breathing heavily and covered in sweat by the time they entered the cool interior of a large cave system. They stopped for a short rest while Stein gave everyone a miner's helmet with a built-in LED light. These helmets had made up the bulk of their luggage. Some form of light was necessary if they wanted to see their way around in the dark caves.

Both marines thought they were a bit of overkill, as in their opinion some flashlights would have been enough. However, they soon found out it had been a wise decision to protect their heads as well. Even though the passageway to the first part of the cave system wasn't that long, it proved to be quite difficult going because of the numerous rocky or crystalline outcrops had covered the floor, walls and roof. Dieter Stein well remembered this journey from his first visit. He didn't mention that this was the easy part. Further on it would be even tougher going to journey into the inner chamber and the treasure it held. He often wondered why the Ancients hadn't made the going easier. On the other hand, ten thousand years had gone by. Maybe the caves had been subjected to seismic activity or additional crystal growth.

Arriving in the first cavern, Finnegan stopped in awe to take in the massive space with its towering columns made up of minerals and crystals. It looked like a strange yet an impressive cathedral interior. "My god, Stein, you weren't kidding when you said this place was spectacular."

"It certainly is. Ja?"

"Oh, ja, ja." Finnegan's reply came out sounding a little disrespectful of Stein's nationality.

Luckily, it went over Stein's head. "Please call me Dieter as we will be working together for the rest of the day and travelling back to Earth as soon as that can be arranged. As I said, my time on Atlantis is coming to an end, and I wish very much to enjoy the spoils of our findings here today."

Finnegan nodded. "Whatever. Although travelling back home is going to prove a little more difficult now." He stopped talking and indicated that he wished to have a private word with Stein. They moved a little away from the others with the pretence of looking at something interesting. When Finnegan was sure the General couldn't overhear him, he whispered. "If they send us back via the Stargate they could decide to search us when we arrive at SGC. So now we'll have no choice other than to make sure we go back at the same time as Trumble. At the moment, he's still insisting on taking over the military. Idiot!" he whispered, "As if he could do a better job than Sheppard." He then noticed that Trumble was looking at him, kind of strangely. "Yes, Dr Stein very interesting," he said loudly enough for the others to hear. "So how far is the chamber with the treasure we came for?"

"It is still some way off. However, I assure you…the effort will be well worth the bother." Stein noticed that Trumble was now scowling at him for some reason. He chose to ignore it.

Corporal Carpenter decided to speak up. "Is it safe in here? I mean, the roof isn't likely to come crashing down on us, is it?"

"My thoughts exactly!" Trumble piped up.

Stein sighed and held up his hands. "Do you think I would venture into here if it was unsafe? Look around at the cavern's structure. It is formed from hard crystal and not porous, flaky shale. The Ancients mined these caverns ten thousand years ago, and they are still standing. Probably unaltered from the very day they left." Of course, that was more than likely a fabrication.

Finnegan spoke up at that point. "I agree. From what I've seen so far, these caverns are pretty solid. I just hope the chamber isn't too far into the system, Stein, otherwise it could get very uncomfortable for us."

"The cave is a little way in, but reachable and with breathable conditions."

"Why the hell is that so important!" Trumble asked louder than necessary.

Finnegan looked at him as if he were an ant under his feet. "Because despite them being within a mountain or underground, crystal structures can give off uncomfortable amounts of heat and…"

"Oh, come on, Finnegan. We are not talking about the crystal caves of Mexico here. The ones in Chihuahua are over three hundred metres underground. I was fortunate enough to visit them some years back and I agree it was very hot and very uncomfortable. The caverns here are very different as you will see and there is no water to hinder our passage. Now if you want the treasure we must get going. Ja?"

"It's about time we moved on. The quicker we get there, the quicker we can be out of this hellhole. So lead the way!" Trumble commanded as he fiddled with his helmet light.

It took what seemed like an hour to approach the next cavern, simply because they encountered the same problems as before, only more so.

"Why in heaven's name didn't those Ancient people open up the passageway for easier access?" Trumble grumbled to no one in particular. No one actually answered him because both Stein and Finnegan had already moved farther into the main chamber.

Carpenter threw the General a disgruntled look before moving to join them leaving Trumble alone with Private Selkirk. The young marine had hardly said a word as he really didn't want to be here in the first place. Like many, he found the General an overbearing pompous ass, but the lure of riches had enticed him. His main goal was to get back to Earth and leave the Marines for good. With his share of the loot, Selkirk planned on opening a gun store in his hometown. His love of firearms was becoming a bit of an obsession, and he prided himself on being a crack shot on the firing range. That's probably what got him assigned to Atlantis in the first place. His abilities with firearms had earned him a place in the Stargate program after being noticed by a visiting officer to his place of training in Bridgeport California. Apparently, the man was looking for new recruits to a top secret project. Selkirk had no idea at the time that volunteering would bring him to another galaxy and dangers beyond imagination. He didn't mind facing humans as they were generally predictable and could easily be killed with just one shot. Facing the Wraith, however, was an entirely different kettle of fish. After a harrowing encounter a few months back when he had barely survived, Selkirk had wanted nothing more to do with them and had requested a one-way ticket back to Earth.

Naturally, the Colonel had asked him why and the young man had given him an honest answer. Sheppard had agreed, assuring him that the Wraith were enough to scare even the toughest marine and not to take it as a failure. Selkirk had admired the man for saying that. Then Dr Robinson had assessed him and said he had a mild case of PTSD, meaning he was supposed to have left on the Daedalus.

Whatever, Selkirk wasn't too keen on the way General Trumble continually put Sheppard down. He scowled at him now and urged the man forward, while he took up his rear until they finally entered into a relatively small chamber.

This chamber was very different from the previous one, with nothing but uninteresting rough, stone walls. Although the roof still looked stable enough, the floor was littered with loose stone and what appeared to be sediment. There was no flowing water, yet the walls and floor appeared damp for some reason.

"What the hell! I thought we were here to find a treasure beyond our wildest dreams! All I see are very drab looking, damp walls." Trumble complained bitterly.

Frank Finnegan rolled his eyes as Stein explained. "If you would kindly stop your complaining for a moment, those drab looking walls as you called them contain some of the most precious gemstones known to man. They are here in great numbers. We only have to look for them."

"Are you sure they really are what you think they are, Dieter?"

"Take a look for yourself, Frank," Dieter said, as he handed his fellow geologist a fairly small piece of what looked like a normal rock. Dieter unclipped his water bottle and poured a little over the stone to wash away some dirt sediment. It revealed a smooth, dark reddish crystal underneath. "During my first visit to this cave, I took a small sample back to Atlantis and looked at it more closely. I'm telling you I was astonished to find it was a pure diamond crystal of an extremely deep red colour. This cave holds an absolute fortune. The only problem is we can only take a little because we can't transport the crystals very well without raising suspicion. Also, if we suddenly flood the market back on Earth, then it could be that too many questions are asked, including wanting the location of the mine. We couldn't very well tell them they came from another galaxy."

Finnegan slowly nodded. "You're right about that. It really doesn't matter because even a few will make us rich once they have been cut. I believe the asking price is around four hundred thousand dollars per carat for a good example. Of course, we will have to find an expert diamond cutter and pay him well. It is important to remember the four C's, carat, clarity, colour and cut. When done right, they would be worth a fortune."

Trumble had enough. "Yes, yes, Doctor Finnegan, we know all about that. When you told me there was something worth having in this cave system, I naturally thought it would be something we could sell immediately without raising suspicion," he complained.

Frank rubbed his forehead and slowly shook his head. "Now what made you think that? A cave equals rocks or crystals, not ready-made diamond rings hanging from the wall." _You idiot._

Trumble held up his hands. "Alright, we will each take a small amount and head back. Tell me, Dr Stein, being such an expert can't you cut the diamonds yourself before you and the others return to Earth? As you know I will be staying to run the military on Atlantis for a while. I will sell my cut when I eventually return to Washington."

"I am no expert in that field, General. It takes a very skilled person to, first off choosing the right cut and then do it, without destroying the gem. No, I am very sorry, but we will have to wait until we return home. I know a few people who can do it, and with the right amount of money they will not ask too many questions."

"In Germany, in doubt," Finnegan muttered.

"Yes, yes, of course, in Deutschland. Where else did you think I know the right people? Anyway, it is up to you where your share is to be cut, Frank."

The Irishman could see so many inconveniences ahead, problems that he hadn't even begun to think about yet. "We'll have to stagger the amount over time if we don't want too many questions from being asked. It really is a pity you couldn't cut them beforehand Dieter."

Dieter Stein was beginning to wish he'd kept the find to himself. He questioned his own sanity at agreeing with the likes of General Trumble being involved, but the Stargate rules were clear about using resources from other planets for one's own profit. It was a big no, no. If caught, they could be imprisoned. Because of that possibility, his associate Dr Finnegan had assured him Trumble's involvement was necessary.

His thoughts were interrupted when Trumble suddenly commanded. "We'll deal with these problems later. Right now, I want to get out of here, so let's collect this damn diamond ore!"

TBC

 _AN_

 _Not much John and family in this long chapter but at least we find out what Trumble and the rest are up to._ _Thanks again for reading._


	16. Chapter 16

Deadly Intent

Chapter 16

Morning light slowly filtered into the room just as John's alarm clock told him it was time to get up. He quickly switched it off so as not to disturb Teyla who slept peacefully beside him. He allowed the residue of sleep to wear off for a few minutes thinking that once he'd managed to fall asleep, he'd actually had a restful night. Now he felt ready to face a new day. A day closer to Trumble finally being out of his hair for good as the Daedalus was due to leave for Earth around mid-morning tomorrow. Smiling at the prospect, John quietly slipped out of the bed to go for his morning shower leaving his love to slumber on as she needed it.

An hour later, after a pleasant breakfast with Ronon, John's good mood rapidly evaporated when Woolsey told him that the Daedalus had already departed the day before without taking their unwanted guest with them.

"So where the hell is Trumble now?" John's dismay could be heard all the way across the control room. Then he answered his own question before Woolsey got the chance. "Probably just waiting somewhere to verbally assault me again. And here's me thinking it was going to be another really good day."

"That's why I didn't tell you yesterday evening, John. I really didn't want to spoil what was left of your obviously enjoyable trip." Richard informed him. "As for the General, he is currently on a field trip with the two geologists, Stein and Finnegan."

John frowned. "How come I didn't know about this?"

"I decided not to bother you as it was just a straightforward trip to a geologically interesting planet that had been deemed as safe by SGA12 just over half a year ago."

"And you just let them go without a military escort?"

Richard fiddled with the open paper folder on the desk before him. "I believe two Marines went with them." He looked down and scrutinised the page. "Ah yes, it was Corporal Carpenter and…um…Private Selkirk."

"What! Why would Lorne have picked those two? Carpenter is totally inexperienced and as for Selkirk, according to Dr Robinson, the kid has a mild case of PTSD after his run-in with some Wraith a few months back. He was due to return to Earth on the Daedalus, so why in heavens name did he miss the boat? Did Lorne know about this?"

Feeling somewhat guilty, Richard looked down at the folder again. It was time to come clean and admit that he'd also kept Lorne in the dark. He knew Sheppard was not going to be pleased. "Under the circumstances, I felt it unnecessary to involve you or Lorne as Doctor Stein already had an escort in mind. Apparently, both Carpenter and Selkirk have a keen interest in geology and wished to escort the geologists and the General."

John counted to ten trying his hardest not to lose his cool and come back with an overly sarcastic reply. "Since when have military matters been taken away from the senior officers, Mr Woolsey? Or did General Trumble take matters into his own hands?"

Richard swallowed hard. John's use of his surname meant the Colonel must be seriously pissed off with him. He slowly shook his head. "I now realise it was very wrong of me to keep you and Lorne out of the picture. Trumble had nothing to do with it. It was just an arrangement between Doctor Stein and myself. I was going to inform Colonel Lorne. Then with it being Sunday and all, I failed to do so. To tell you the truth, I desperately wanted Trumble off base for your sake."

What could John say to that? The wind slowly went out of his sails, and he calmed down somewhat. Chewing on his lower lip, he said. "Okay, I see your point, but in future please don't do our job for us. I know you've never gone behind our backs before, so I'll put it down to pressure and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Trumble's visit. When did they leave anyway?"

"According to the night duty staff at exactly 03:00 hours. They should be back well before midnight, but before then they're due to check in with us at 14:00 hours."

John quickly did the math. "Isn't that a bit long?"

Richard nodded. "I wanted them to do it sooner, but Stein said they would be exploring some cave systems and would be unable to use their radios. Apart from the fact they would be one hour out from the Gate."

Not liking the sound of that, John asked. "What planet is it anyway?" Richard quickly supplied the name and coordinates. "Can't say it rings any bells. I'll do a little research in a minute, and I'll ask McKay if he knows anything about the place."

"Why's that important?"

"Just so. It's good to have some Intel just in case. I don't suppose anything will go wrong." John thought about it for a minute. "Why in heaven's name did they feel the need to explore a cave system? Cave's are dangerous places without the right gear."

"According to the staff, they took some with them."

John didn't say much to that. He left Woolsey's alone to do the necessary research. After reading SGA12's report and speaking to Rodney, John came to the conclusion he might be worrying about nothing. Hopefully, by midnight, Trumble would be back on base and then John had every intention of pushing his ass through the Stargate right back to Earth. Yet somehow, a nagging feeling was telling him otherwise. Telling him that he had every right to be concerned. If anything were to happen to Trumble while off-world, the High Command would no doubt hold him fully responsible. Despite the fact that Woolsey had neglected to inform him or his XO of the General's plans.

oOo

The geologists made short work of pointing out what looked like hopeful crystals and in no time at all they had a sizable collection considering the amount of broken rock and silt they'd had to sift through. Dieter had already discussed the importance of only taking back good quality stones. He planned to look them over once again in inadequate daylight. Although he was pretty sure most of the ones they had found so far were of good standard. It was amazing really. On Earth, they would have taken years to find so many, and here they were just lying around like pebbles on a beach.

Dieter looked at his watch a while later. He determined it was already time for them to make their way out of the cave system. The planet's nightfall was just over five hours away, and they needed to get back to the Stargate to check in with Atlantis.

"Ok, I think we have more than enough to make us very wealthy men. Like I said it is imperative that we do not flood the market all at once. Now we will each take a small amount outside where I will do a further sorting once we've reached the Stargate. There is a shallow river nearby, which I can use to wash the stones and inspect them more closely." Dieter told the others.

A small amount of grumbling passed between the two young soldiers. One look from the General quickly shut them up. Somewhat reluctantly they gathered together their equipment. The stones were then divided before being put into five small canvas pouches so each member could carry one. Finished with that task, they began making their way from the small diamond producing cave back to the larger crystal cavern. The going was equally as rough. Apart from a few bumped heads and curses, they made it back without incident.

Trumble grumbled about almost everything on their way along. He was still doing it even after entering the much larger cave. The others were getting sorely tired of it, so much so that Finnegan lost his cool when the man started going on about his feet. "For god's sake shut your trap, General, or so help me, I'll leave you here with no light source."

"Are you threatening me, Finnegan?"

"You bet I am. I'm not part of your military, so I don't give a damn."

The two were arguing so much that they didn't hear Stein give them a cautionary warning until he yelled in German. "Hör auf! Stop it! I hear something."

The two young Marines went on full alert, guns pointing at an unseen enemy as everyone stopped moving. Minutes passed without another sound, other than their breathing.

Trumble eventually broke the silence with a loud huff. "What the hell did you hear Stein? It's quite obvious there's nothing is in here other than us."

"I heard a scraping noise coming from the passageway that leads out of here. Be alert please, this planet does have a few native creatures. They could be quite dangerous. We encountered some during our first visit, but thankfully they all shied away from our approach."

"Oh, how very reassuring, Stein." Trumble threw at him, sarcastically. "I want out of here. Let's move it people!" he commanded as if moving his troops around a battlefield.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Finnegan muttered as he swept passed his fellow geologist to lead the way out of the cave. Stein said nothing as he didn't like the General either. He swore to remain calm until this whole thing was over. Until he could return to Earth with his share of the treasure, and free of the overbearing, crazy military man once and for all.

Thirty minutes later they emerged from the cave into the bright light of the sun having encountered nothing unusual in the passageway. The glare was in stark contrast to the dim light of the cave system. It was almost blinding. The heat made Stein realise just how different the climate was from his first visit many months ago, then it had been much cooler even at midday. It was probably due to the fact that it was now summer in this hemisphere, at least he thought so. Looking ahead for the path they had to take, it was actually quite difficult to see the route through the shimmering haze. He started to head out in what he hoped was the right direction, indicating to the others that they should follow him. They'd gone no more than fifty paces when the attack came.

Later on, no one could remember exactly what had happened as they slowly woke, trying to shake off the feeling of stupor. One minute they had been trailing along towards the Stargate and the next, nothing. No warning, no conscious thought even for a short span before falling unconscious to the ground.

One thing for sure they were no longer in the brilliant sunshine of the planet's surface, but rather in a rough, stone cell with a slightly damp, dirt covered floor. The cell appeared to be devoid of benches, beds or any other furnishings for that matter. It presented a very gloomy place indeed as the only dim light source came from a small barred window set high in a very solid looking metal door. The barrier separated them from whomever or whatever lay beyond their prison. The door appeared to have no visible locking mechanism, although no one had ventured over yet to check it out for sure.

Trumble was the last to come fully around. He sat up carefully, rubbing his aching head. Naturally, his first words were to criticise. "I thought you said this planet was uninhabited, Stein?"

"We believed it to be when we..."

"Oh, my god, no!" Finnegan shouted drowning out Stein's next words. "All of our equipment and belongings are gone!"

Everyone did a quick search only to find Finnegan's words were more than true. Even their pockets had been emptied of everything, including their precious uncut diamonds.

Feeling thoroughly frustrated by the turn of events, Corporal Carpenter quickly stood up and started pacing even though it was difficult for him to judge his steps in the dim light. "We've got to get out of here!"

"Well, don't just pace up and down man! Look for a weakness!"

The young corporal stopped and turned to look down his nose at the miserable figure beneath him. For a moment, he almost forgot that Trumble was his superior commander as the temptation to hit the man was incredibly strong.

Luckily before he could strike out, Private Selkirk stopped him with a light touch to his arm. "Come on, let's check the walls." Carpenter nodded his gratitude. He could have ruined everything, that's assuming they got out of this situation in one piece.

oOo

The check-in time came and went leaving Woolsey with a sickening feeling. It seemed Stein had let him down even though the geologist had promised faithfully to stick to the check-in schedule. He glanced at Sheppard and knew by the Colonel's grim look that he wasn't at all happy.

"We'll give them another hour, Colonel," Woolsey advised using Sheppard's rank as others were in the control room.

"No! I'm not leaving them any longer. If something has happened, the quicker we get there, the better. If it's just their neglect to follow regulations, then believe me they're in for a good dressing down. General or not, Trumble should know better."

"Assuming he was told," Woolsey whispered.

John looked incredulous and shook his head. "You think Stein could have kept that information from him? I don't believe so. As you said it was an hours trek back to the Stargate, so Stein would have had to give them a reason for returning. Chuck, open a radio link to the planet. Let's try contacting them first."

The technician quickly established a wormhole to M3B 226. "Link open, sir."

John nodded his thanks and called. "Doctor Stein, this is Atlantis base, please respond." Minutes of silence ticked by. "I repeat this is Atlantis base, please respond." Still nothing. John turned to Woolsey with a disgruntled look. He sighed loudly. "Okay, I'd better get a team together and see what's keeping them."

Woolsey coughed loudly. "You're not cleared for Gate travel yet, Colonel."

"My leg is healed and I was off-world yesterday."

"Not on a mission." Woolsey reminded him.

"Granted, but every time we go off-world it could end up a mission. Look, I'll take a jumper. Carson can come with us as there might be injured."

Woolsey still didn't like it. "I think we should send another team."

John shook his head, resolutely. "No. The safety of General Trumble is my responsibility. As base commander, it's my duty to rescue him and the others, if necessary. It could be they're still holed up in the cave system and forgot the time or something." He left other possibilities unsaid. "We'll do a recon of the area and see where we go from there."

Richard knew there was no arguing with him as the man was stubborn to the core, so he caved in. "All right do a survey of the area. Please don't take any unnecessary chances if it appears they are in trouble in the caves. A team of experts can be called in, if necessary. Anyway, our time is limited as it will be nightfall there in a few hours."

John nodded. "Ok, then we'd better not waste any more time. We'll take some combat engineers with us just in case. How long does the night last anyway?"

Chuck answered this time. "That part of the planet has a very short cycle at the moment. The night lasts approximately four hours and the day just over sixteen."

"That should give us plenty of time to do a thorough search the next day if we don't find anything straight away."

Woolsey nodded. "All right, you have a go then."

oOo

They found nothing to indicate a weakness in the cells structure. Not a crack or loose stone to be found. The walls appeared to be mined out of solid rock, which probably meant they were back in a cave somewhere. It didn't appear to be the same cave system as the walls comprised of rough granite, rather than the beautiful crystalline structure of the diamond yielding cave.

This was the first time Trumble had ever been imprisoned. He quickly grew tired and very frustrated by the whole situation. Meaning, he rapidly lost his cool with their captors who were no doubt just beyond the cell. He stood facing the metal door and bellowed. "If anyone is out there, I demand to be released at once! Do you hear me! I won't stand for this kind of treatment. You will free us and return our property at once!"

A few head shakes passed between the others as they covered their ears. Finnegan sighed. "I don't know what you hope to achieve by shouting like that, General. I very much doubt your voice will have carried much beyond that thick door. However, you sure are deafening us."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to burst your eardrums," Trumble answered sarcastically, "But I want out of…."

Trumble's rant ended very abruptly when the door suddenly swung open to allow a couple of brutish looking humans to enter. They were dressed in some kind of uniform, greyish in tone and ill-fitting. The leading man swung a heavy wooden baton, connecting it soundly with Trumble's head. Although the blow didn't knock the General out, he staggered backwards and fell roughly against the rear wall. Seeing stars and in some pain, he wisely decided to remain silent for his own good. Instead, he sat glaring at the man who had hit him. Clutching his aching head.

"Does anyone else want the same treatment?" The baton-wielding man asked swinging his weapon back and forward in front of them. Everyone remained stock still, not even daring to breathe. "Pity, I felt like hitting someone else." Without warning, he swung around and connected soundly with Private Selkirk's shoulder, producing an audible crack. Shocked and in pain, the young man fell to the ground amid a chorus of protests.

"That wasn't necessary!" Finnegan shouted. His protest quickly died when the baton missed his head by millimetres.

Luckily, the brute never tried to hit him again. The man stood with his legs firmly planted on the ground and the baton held up in a defensive position ready to strike again if necessary. He glared at them and bellowed. "Now, I will tell you why you've been captured. Then your punishment will begin once our master has arrived."

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Deadly Intent

Chapter 17

No one uttered a word as the two brutish humans finally left the holding cell. Even Trumble remained silent as he slouched against the wall, nursing not only his aching head but his bruised ego. What could they say anyway to change the fact that they were well and truly screwed?

Escape seemed out of the question as the cell appeared to be within another cave system or so their captor claimed. The man also delighted in explaining their fate in great detail. How were they to have known that the planet was now being observed by a small group of Wraith Worshippers? Closely monitored because a Wraith commander considered the planet worthy of his attention, although why was anyone's guess. Wraith didn't need crystals for their tech, which was based on organic matter. Yet a lone Wraith with the help of some worshippers had set a trap for any humans foolish enough to venture into the caves for crystals the Ancients had once used. In other words, it could be a trap for the Atlanteans. Little did the Wraith know that the scientists from Earth had yet to reproduce any of the Ancient technology or fully understand how the crystal circuitry was made?

Corporal Carpenter quickly moved over to young Selkirk to examine his damaged shoulder. The private let out a cry of pain, which echoed around the small cell. "Seems to be broken. We need to stabilize it somehow." Carpenter explained before turning to the others. "Has anyone got a bandage or cloth long enough to support his arm?"

Everyone started searched their clothing. All except Trumble, of course. He just wasn't interested in helping the Private at the present time because his head still hurt like a bitch. The egoist that he was considered his possible concussion far more important than a lowly soldier's broken shoulder blade.

The others ignored the selfish man. After several minutes of searching, they came up with nothing as their clothing had been thoroughly emptied of all contents, even their first aid kits. In the end, Stein produced his trouser belt, which was reasonably wide. With Carpenter's help, he looped it around Selkirk's neck and then gently lifted his wrist to rest at the bottom. The young man appeared to be in considerable pain. However, he gritted his teeth and allowed them to fix his arm. The end result wasn't very satisfactory, as he could still move the limb quite freely. It was better than nothing.

Not too happy with the result, Finnegan tore off a short piece of cloth from the bottom of his shirt and went about securing Selkirk's upper arm to the belt. "That should hold it a little better," the Irish geologist alleged.

Stein nodded and muttered. "Hopefully, it won't be too long before we're rescued."

Trumble looked sceptical. "What makes you think we're going to be rescued?"

"Because General, once Atlantis realises we've missed our check-in, they will send a team to investigate," advised Doctor Stein. "By my calculation, it has already been over two hours since I was asked to check-in. No doubt Mr Woolsey will have informed the Colonel, and he will send a team to investigate our lack of contact."

The General snorted down his nose, which spiked his headache for a few seconds. He knew he shouldn't have done that, but it had been an automatic response. Probably an unnecessary one because, despite his intense dislike for Sheppard, he knew without a doubt that the man would launch a rescue. It was just within Sheppard's nature and for once, Trumble would be grateful if he did.

oOo

John did his final check as the Puddle Jumper descended into the gate room and the Stargate began to engage. It was now exactly forty minutes after Woolsey had given him the go-ahead to look for the disagreeable General and his companions. Although the time had been very short, he had managed to say a quick goodbye to Teyla before gathering a small team, which included a grumbling Carson Beckett.

John thought about the worried look he'd seen on Teyla's face. She hadn't been too keen on him going, but she had fully understood the necessity of it. She'd made him promise to be extra careful. A promise he had every intention of keeping. Carson hadn't been too happy either, stating that John's leg wasn't ready for any strenuous movements. In the end, the good doctor had relented when John agreed only be the taxi driver. Although that was one promise he might not be able to keep. It really all depended on what they found on the planet. Hopefully, it was only a rescue mission. Get in touch with their missing people, extract them and give them one hell of a ticking off for not radioing in. And then all that remained was booting Trumble all the way back to Earth.

As the mission may not require any technical know-how, John had asked Rodney to stay behind for now. Naturally, Rodney had grumbled about being left out of things, stating he was a team member until John had reminded him of the numerous times he had complained about having to go on pointless missions. In the end, Rodney had relented when he admitted that his time could be better spent doing productive work in his lab. John had agreed but advised him to be ready to accompany the second team if his expertise was required at a later point.

Of course, Ronon was along for the ride. He sat quietly behind the fourth member of John's team, Lieutenant James Becket who was currently acting as co-pilot. They had four Marines with them, including the fully recovered Sergeant Flynn. And just in case a rock fall was the problem, Chief Harris and a small team of combat engineers were along for the ride. They would call for more and a second jumper if the necessity arose.

A few minutes later, the event horizon burst into life and John skilfully guided the Jumper through to emerge into the clear, dusky sky of M3B 226. The sun was just dropping below a rocky outcrop to cast long shadows, giving off a wonderful display of golden shades across the sandy ground. According to the HUD, there were no signs of human life in the vicinity of the Stargate. Nevertheless, as a precaution, John cloaked the Jumper and headed along the coordinates Stein had given as their destination. The one-hour walk would only take them a matter of minutes to cover in the Jumper. As the light was fading fast, it would be difficult to spot anything on the ground. So they had to rely entirely on the HUD.

"Try contacting them again, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir. Doctor Stein, this is Jumper one. If you can hear us, please radio in." His request was met with silence. He tried several more times with the same result.

John sighed, "Well, it was worth a try. Looks like they could still be within the cave system."

A few minutes later, John landed not far from a towering rocky cliff face that looked as if it might have a cave entry. Landing directly before the cliff had proved impossible due to large boulders covering the ground. The Jumper now stood a short distance away on some firm, sandy, relatively boulder-free ground. They needed to act quickly as they really didn't have much time left before nightfall. No one really wanted to spend the short night on the planet, but it looked as if they may have to.

John ordered the others to stay behind for now as he and Ronon headed for the cave they could now clearing locate. The whole area was more than spectacular to look at. Unlike normal mountain ranges, these strange towering cliffs were set in uniform ridges. It was almost of if they were manmade, which of course they weren't. The cliff with the cave was on the leading edge of a very impressive range of ridges that stretched back for hundreds of miles probably. Behind them where the Jumper now stood stretched a flat sandy plain, and just beyond that, they could see another ridge of towering cliffs. John was no geologist, but he could understand why Stein and the others had been so keen to visit this strange, beautiful landscape.

Ronon was first to reach the cave entry. John joined him a moment later to find the Satedan busy looking at the tracks on the sandy ground. Tracks that even John could easily identify. "Think they're still in there?" he asked pointing to the dark yawning mouth before him.

"Nope."

John looked puzzled. "What makes you say that?" All he could see were a load of messy tracks.

Ronon called him over to another patch of ground. "These tracks are leading out and they belong to the same group that went in. Five prints in all."

John could see it now. "Yeah, you're right. So where the hell are they?"

Ronon simply shrugged before moving over to another area. "Someone else was here. This set of prints is different."

"How can you be sure?"

Ronon looked at his friend and commander. "Our people are wearing Earth made shoes or boots with rubber soles and heavy treads. These prints indicate someone wearing a sandal with a smooth bottom, still heavy enough to leave a print or scuff mark. Probably a larger male who also entered the cave and left."

Even after all this time Ronon's tracking skills never ceased to amaze John. "Okay, can you pick up their trail while we've still got some light?" Then as if to defy his request, the sun suddenly sank below the horizon throwing the area into total darkness. "Wow, night comes on very suddenly here," John commented as he flipped on his P90 light, "Looks like we'll have to wait until daylight."

Saying no more they headed back towards the Jumper to wait it out. Although John intended to fly back to the Stargate and inform Atlantis of their lack of progress so far.

The four hours of darkness was hardly enough time to get any real shut-eye. Despite that, the folks onboard the Jumper tried their best to get comfortable as they prepared to wait it out. Normally some of them would be off duty by now, either relaxing or getting ready for supper as Atlantis drifted into its early evening period.

John was well used to odd hours of sleeping as it was all part and parcel of being in the military. However, after being laid up for weeks on end with a regular routine for bed, he was finding it difficult to adjust. His recent bouts of insomnia notwithstanding, he normally slept well. So he sincerely hoped this disruption was only for a short period, as he was getting too old to go without at least few hours of reasonable sleep at a stretch.

After contacting Atlantis, John had kept the Jumper near to the Stargate, although it was cloaked and silent so no one would know it was there. They had also tried contacting Stein again. Receiving the same negative silence, it was obvious that the geologist and his companions weren't able to answer for some reason. John just hoped it wasn't because of a rock fall in some other cave as that could prove very difficult to locate.

Sitting in the pilot seat deep in thought, John gazed out at the alien landscape. The Stargate stood in the distance, a dark ring hardly noticeable against the black, sparsely starlit sky. Of course, they would know the minute it was activated should Stein and the others make it back. Even though he would be very angry with them, John sincerely hoped they would just turn up as it would save them a whole lot of trouble and put his mind at rest.

The planet was a weird place with its multicoloured peaks and massive rock formations. In places, perfect four-sided pinnacles towered over the landscape like smaller versions of the Washington Monument, only they were out of crystal rather than stone. During daylight, it had been quite beautiful. It kind of remained John a little of the canyon lands of Utah, although the rocks themselves weren't made up of sandstone, more like multicoloured granite or crystalline rock. The landscape was so unlike the green, tree-covered planets they normally frequented. It would be an absolutely daunting task if they had to search the whole area between the Gate and the cave system that Stein and the others had obviously visited after leaving the first one. Anyway, there wasn't much they could do until the sun came up, as the planet was almost pitch black now. There was no moon to cast its shadows across the landscape. According to the information they had, the planet only had one small moon that was currently on the other side of the globe and wouldn't rise until mid-morning.

The more John stared out of the windshield, the darker it seemed to get. It felt almost sinister, remaining John of the Vin Diesel movie he had once watched called 'Pitch Black'. Hopefully, there were no monsters ready to emerge from the rocks to kill them on this planet. With that thought, he almost expected some horrid thing to land on the viewscreen at any minute.

When Ronon's hand landed on his shoulder, John actually jerked and felt his heart pick up a beat. Ronon chose to ignore it. "Why don't you get some sleep, I'll take the first watch?"

John turned away from the viewscreen and looked up at his teammate. "This place gives me the creeps at night. If you're sure, then you can sit here and keep an eye on the Gate. Not that it's very visible now."

At Ronon's nod, John got up and moved over to the seat behind James Becket, noting that the Lieutenant was still on full alert. John gave him a quick nod and settled behind him. "Get some sleep, James. You can take the second watch when Ronon has had enough." The young man gave a short nod and promptly closed his eyes.

Carson pointedly looked at John from the seat on the opposite side. "I suggest we do the same, Colonel."

John did a quick check of the others in the rear compartment. "OK. Looks like the others are already resting." Saying no more, he settled into the seat and closed his eyes.

John had never expected to actually fall asleep, but it seemed he had done. He woke with a jolt when a loud noise disturbed the quiet. The remnant of his dream caused a moment's confusion when he actually thought they were being entered by dangerous monsters. He shook off the feeling and moved over the Ronon. "What's going on?"

"The Gate just activated."

Hope flared in John. "Stein and the others?"

"Nope, it's an incoming wormhole. We're about to get visitors."

John's hope deflated quicker than an exploding balloon when a single dart sped out from the event horizon, which promptly closed down after the ship's passage. "Oh that's all we need," he muttered. Then John realised that he could actually see the landscape as a band of light began to grow above the horizon. "How long has it been getting light?"

"Ten minutes or so."

John then asked the question they were all thinking. "What the hell does a single dart want on a planet, which by all accounts, has no human life?"

TBC

AN

 _A quick update as I'd like to try and get it posted before the end of the year. Still quite a bit to come though. This is the first time I've included a Wraith in a story. We're have to see if the Wraith eats Trumble or not?_


	18. Chapter 18

Deadly Intent

Chapter18

" _What the hell does a single dart want on a planet, which by all accounts has no human life?"_

Ronon had no immediate answer for Sheppard, although the sight of the dart was an eerie reminder of his days as a runner. More often than not he'd been chased through the Stargate by a lone commander on foot. On a few occasions, a single dart had tried to track him down before actually landing to begin the pursuit. Ronon had considered them to be the lazy ones. He had always disposed of them fairly quickly. "Could be a lone scout," he eventually muttered.

"Yeah, well…with a bit of luck, this will be the last place he gets to be a lone scout. Although, why bother with a planet devoid of human life?" Once again, no one had an answer. John rubbed the tiredness from his eyes. He looked at the others who were now all wide awake. "Okay, the dart complicates things somewhat. He may have deposited a group of drone warriors somewhere, which means we need to be extra vigilant."

Looking none too happy, Carson quickly moved to John's side. "If you don't mind me saying so, I'm thinking some reinforcements wouldn't go amiss right now."

Ronon growled under his breath as John gave the answer that the Satedan wanted to hear. "We aren't there yet, Carson. It's just one dart. Right now, the last thing we want is to alert him to our presence by dialling the gate. We'll keep a good look out for him, but our search goes ahead as planned. However, it does mean I want somebody to remain undercover near the Stargate just in case more darts come through and we really do need to call for reinforcements."

John paused for a moment while he decided who would be the best choice to leave behind. "Sergeant Flynn, gather your gear and find a secure hiding place. If any darts do arrive or he leaves, I'll want to know about it ASAP. If at all possible that is." John added as an afterthought. "I'm not too sure if our radio signals will reach as far as the cave system, so we could be out of touch for a while. Should they arrive in greater numbers, we'll certainly need some backup. If we are out of touch, I'll let you be the judge of that." John knew he was placing a great deal of responsibility on Sergeant's shoulders, but the man was reliable and not prone to making rash judgements. Giving the man a pat on the shoulder, he finished up with, "Take care, Sarge."

Flynn nodded and quickly moved to pick up his gear from the rear compartment. _Yep, that's what he_ _loved about Sheppard; he really did care about his people._

A few moments later, John released the hatch and Flynn waited a moment for his commander to check the area. At Sheppard's signal, he quickly dashed away from the Jumper towards an outcrop of rocks situated halfway to the Stargate. Before reaching the hiding place, he tried to eradicate his footprints as best he could. He heard the hum of the invisible Jumper as it rose into the air and smiled as he realised the Colonel must have taken off at a very sharp angle so that the drive pods could help obliterate the trail he'd left. In the end, there wasn't so much to see. Hopefully, it no longer looked like a trail of human footprints. The Sergeant quickly checked the area he was about to settle into for any unwanted insects or animals. Finding it clear, he moved into the hollow gap between two large rocks to wait it out. It wasn't until he was up close and personal with the rock face that he realised just how truly beautiful it was. What looked like quartz or some other crystalline formations twinkled with the rising sun. It would make fantastic kitchen counter tops, he thought. Pity he couldn't get it back to Earth and start up a new business.

oOo

The creaking of a hinge in desperate need of some oil and a sudden burst of intense light from some form of lantern announced the return of their baton brandishing human captors. Although this time the leader didn't have a weapon with him. Once Stein and the others had adjusted to the blinding light exposure they got their first glimpse of the master. It was definitely a Wraith Commander.

While Finnegan and Trumble may not have realised how truly screwed they were, Stein and the two young marines certainly did. Private Selkirk was the only one among them to have encountered a Wraith close up and personal. He froze, literally petrified by the sight of the monster before him as his mind tried to process the horrid turn of events. He could hardly breathe. His heart threatened to falter with shock as a tall Wraith moved menacingly into their cell.

The others were terrified too, although, they could still function a little better than the young private. Despite never having seen a Wraith Commander in the flesh, Corporal Carpenter had seen plenty of video footage. He noted that although the Wraith was dressed in the usual black long leather coat, he seemed slightly unkempt. His waist-length white hair looked dirty giving it a greyish tone. The Wraith also appeared to have very little in the way of facial hair. No goatee adorned his chin as was often the case. His skin looked a sicklier green than normal under his intricate pattern of dull looking facial tattoos. It was almost as if he were half starved, which he probably was. Carpenter knew it and that knowledge had him truly petrified.

Panicked, Selkirk didn't really notice any of the small details. He let out what sounded like a whimper when the Wraith commander glared down at him from his superior height. A solitary drone warrior stood behind his commander, silent and equally as menacing behind its face mask.

Its Master finally spoke with a sickly grin plastered on his face. "You have intruded upon our sacred grounds and now you must pay the price."

Without another word, the Wraith struck out and grabbed his first victim. To everyone's shock, it wasn't any of them but rather one of the human Wraith worshipers who had captured them. Distress on the man's face said everything as the Wraith commander began to drain his life. Then the man's pain hit and he screamed the most blood-curdling sound the prisoners had ever heard. Private Selkirk, who was already terrified, passed out to land in a heap at Corporal Carpenter's feet. The corporal didn't move a muscle to help him as he too was in shock. The two geologists backed up as far as they could until their backs hit the solid rock wall behind them. They remained silent as they looked on in terror to see the human reduced to a grossly aged husk.

Another human worshipper had been standing behind the Wraith warrior. During the feeding, he had almost gloated at the death of his fellow human. He eventually stepped forward and foolhardily said. "I am sure Gerreth was honoured to have served you in such a manner, Master. Although I must ask as to why did you not satisfy your hunger on one of the prisoners?"

The Wraith commander turned towards him with a look of pure evil. He now looked far stronger and somewhat healthier. "I am sure he was honoured. I have other plans for these prisoners. In the meantime, you will also serve your purpose as my warrior is very hungry."

The Atlantean prisoners watched as the colour drain from their captor. Without a word, the human quickly turned tail and tried to make a run for it. The Commander simply grabbed his collar and pulled him back. The callus human started pleading for his life, no longer so arrogant. "You will need me still. Let the warrior have one of these." He pointed directly to General Trumble who had been keeping a very low profile at the back of their cell. "That old man has been nothing but trouble ever since we captured him."

Trumble took the insult personally. He stood up and marched up to the human, forgetting the danger he was in for a minute. "How dare you call me old! I'll have you know I've fought in many a campaign and come out victorious." Which if anybody knew the truth was a load of nonsense. Without thinking, Trumble turned to the Wraith. "I don't know what you truly are, but your actions go against all decent, civilized behaviour. Now I demand to be set free and allowed to return home immediately!"

His cell companions froze not believing that the General could be so stupid as to talk down a Wraith. The Commander took a step closer to snarl directly into the General's face. "Are you so naïve as to think I will set you free?"

Realising his huge error in trying to intimidate the alien, Trumble swallowed hard before whispering in a much quieter tone. "Yes, I...I just wish to return home."

"And…where…is…your home, human?"

Trumble racked his brain trying to think of something to say. I knew enough that he couldn't mention Earth or Atlantis, so he used an earthly city instead. "Kandahar."

"I have never heard of such a planet." The Wraith cocked his head and suddenly surged forward to plant his face just inches from Trumble's. "Did you come for crystals to repair the Ancestor's machinery? Now tell me the truth? If you do not co-operation, my warrior will feed on one of your companions instead of my loyal servant," The Commander turned to look at Selkirk, "Maybe the cowering, cowardly one."

Trumble may have been a lot of things, yet he still retained some allegiance to his fellow military personnel. The young private had regained consciousness and sat rocking back and forward, petrified in the far corner he had crawled into. Trumble kind of agreed with the Wraith over him being a coward. He found the private's actions extremely disturbing and very unbecoming for a U.S. Marine. However, he would not allow the young man to die, not if he could prevent it. So he talked. "Of course not, we haven't any knowledge concerning the crystals you are talking about. I don't even know what they look like." That actually wasn't a lie because none of them was familiar with Ancient tech.

The Wraith looked thoughtful. "I sense you are telling the truth. Why did you come to this particular planet then?"

"We only wished to explore as we thought it was safe and uninhabited," Trumble answered calmly.

"Explore? Yet you were caught with some firestones were you not? Why would you want such worthless rocks?" The Wraith shook his head, causing his stringy hair to fly around his face. He pushed it out of the way with his long-fingered hand. "It is beyond my comprehension to understand that. They are useless and were never used in the technology of the Ancestors. Yet you take them. I am asking you why?"

For the first time, Doctor Stein stepped forward and explained. "We thought they may prove useful…for…our machines. We would not have taken them if we had known they belonged to the Wraith."

The Commander snarled, "What would we want with such useless rocks!" He now seemed unjustifiably incensed, leaving the humans wondering if he were totally sane.

The Wraith must have somehow signalled his warrior because the next thing anyone knew, the masked Wraith moved forward to grab Stein by the front of his shirt. The German geologist went deadly white knowing what was coming. He pleaded for mercy, but to no avail as the Wraith calmly started to drain the life from his body. Dieter's screams echoed those of the first victim as he slowly changed into an old man before their eyes.

Near the entryway, the other human worshipper took the opportunity to quietly slip out of the cell. Totally unobserved as everyone's attention was focused on the warrior and his victim. He started to head for the passageway leading to the outside world, only to make it a short distance before running smack bang into another Wraith warrior. After a short struggle, he was quickly dragged back to the cell. One look from the Commander and the second warrior also knew he could feed. He was starving and the brutish human would provide him with the substance that he so desperately needed. Just as Stein gave one final, feeble cry, the next Wraith started to feed.

The group from Atlantis looked on in total shock as another human life was taken. They knew it was only a matter of time before one of them became the next victim. What should have been a straightforward trip for riches had turned into a nightmare. Only a miracle would get them out of this situation now.

Trumble looked on in shock. He also came to realise just how truly dangerous these aliens were, and what the people of Atlantis had been up against all these years.

TBC

AN

 _Hope that wasn't too gory. Poor Dr Stein. Thanks again for the reviews, the followers, favouring and for reading the story._


	19. Chapter 19

Deadly Intent

Chapter 19

Keeping the Jumper cloaked, Sheppard circled low around the rocky cave entry they'd been to the evening before. The area looked exactly as they had left it. There was still no sign of their missing people and also no sign of the Wraith Dart.

"Area looks untouched to me." Ronon piped up as he stood between the two pilot seats. He'd been using his keen eyesight to try and pick out any new footprints or signs.

"Yeah." John paused and thought for a moment. He turned to his co-pilot and asked. "Are you picking up any more energy readings, James?"

The young Lieutenant shook his head. "No, not since we first detected something. My guess is the dart landed and then powered down."

John slowly nodded. "You're probably right, but where the heck is that dart now?"

"From my calculations, I'd hazard a guess and say not that far from here. Probably somewhere over to the ridge east of here."

John looked across the flat sandy landscape towards the fore mentioned ridge of rocky cliffs. They weren't that far off. Nevertheless, by foot, it would have taken several hours to reach. "Yeah, I guess this can't be the only cave system on this weird planet." He had a sinking feeling that looking for their people could be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Although, he now had a hunch that somehow the Wraith had something to do with their disappearance. So using that gut feeling and hoping he was right, John brought the Jumper around and headed out in an easterly direction towards the next range of ridges.

It only took them about fifteen minutes to cover the distance and they were soon rewarded by the sight of the Wraith dart just sitting nestled between two well-spaced, large boulders. A single Wraith warrior appeared to be guarding the vessel.

Ronon growled and twirled his gun just inches from John's face. He pushed it away with the back of his hand. "Easy, Chewie. We'll try to capture him and see if we can get any info out of him." Although, John knew that was a pretty impossible task as the warrior class Wraith didn't talk to his knowledge, nor were they afraid of death. Therefore it was highly unlikely they would gain anything from it.

Ronon's face lit up with a big wide grin as he muttered, "Before he dies." Without another word, he marched to the back of the Jumper.

John sighed, Ronon never changed. That was a good thing really as it meant a better chance of survival for them all. With a small smile, he turned his attention to finding a suitable place to land. John knew the minute the Jumper touched down Ronon would be off. So he had to land close enough to capture the Wraith, but not too close to alert him. Speed was of the essence, they had to get in and grab him quickly before he could alert others or trigger his self-destruct.

After several frustrating minutes of looking at the boulder covered ground, John finally found a suitable place to put down. As he brought the cloaked Jumper in for a landing, he shouted orders for Captain Forbes to assist Ronon in his pursuit of the Wraith. They landed with a slight bump and John lowered the back hatch. Ronon and the Captain were already out by the time he got up from his seat. John instructed Lieutenant Becket to take control and quickly grabbed his P90.

He made it as far as the back compartment when Carson moved to stop him with his arm. "And where do you think you're going, Colonel?"

"To assist Ronon," John answered, brushing Carson's arm aside.

"Aye, and I seem to remember you saying, you'd only be the taxi driver?"

John had no time for this. He quickly moved passed Carson and headed for the exit. "Unforeseen circumstances!" he called back as he held his weapon ready.

As it turned out Ronon really didn't need his assistance as the Satedan already had the Wraith tied up with its hands secured behind its back so he couldn't press the self-destruct panel located on his breastplate. Ronon was just in the process of moving him closer to the Jumper with the help of Forbes when Sheppard arrived.

On close inspection, John noted that the Wraith looked anything but a warrior. The usual well-muscled arms and legs somehow looked wasted. He was listless, his feet dragging a deep line in the sandy soil between Ronon and the Captain as they moved him. His skin looked sickly and his hair unkempt.

"Looking a bit hungry aren't we?" He addressed the Wraith. John didn't expect an answer and he didn't get one. He looked at Ronon. "Don't take him any further."

Ronon nodded his understanding as he knew the Wraith wasn't healthy. When Ronon spoke, he sounded disappointed. "Hardly put up any resistance. He did try to feed on me. Didn't even come close."

John looked relieved that the Wraith had done no harm. "So that's why you were able to get him so fast?" It pleased him that the Wraith's capture had been so quick and easy.

Captain Forbes nodded. "He seems half dead to me."

John had seen starving Wraith before, mainly captured ones, which included Todd. Yet he had never witnessed anything like this. "Yeah, never seen one quite so underfed and sick because of it, but that's the way he's going to stay." John pointed. "Secure him over by that large boulder. We'll try and get something out of him."

"Won't happen," Ronon muttered.

John sighed. "Yeah, I guess not." He followed his people and their burden over to the boulder and waited until the Wraith was securely tied up. "Okay, where's your commander?"

The Wraith didn't even move its head to look at him. Instead, it remained slumped against the rough stone boulder looking totally lifeless. For a minute, John wondered if it was dead already. And how could you tell if a Wraith warrior had died behind that facemask? He had no desire to remove it and check. With a sigh, John turned back to his men. "We ain't gonna get anything out of him."

"I've never heard them talk." Captain Forbes added.

Ronon nodded as John answered. "Nope. That's one thing we've never figured out, but that doesn't mean he hasn't communicated telepathically. Somewhere around here must be more Wraith and possibly a commander. So we need to stay on alert."

Ronon looked off towards the nearest towering cliff face scanning the area for anything. He had excellent eyesight and even before John could focus his binoculars, he said. "There's another cave entry over there."

John turned towards where Ronon was pointing and saw what his friend meant. The cave was located on top of a rocky ridge making it somewhat higher than ground level. The entry seemed fairly small but still big enough for even Ronon to pass through. "Okay, we'll head back to the Jumper and get some gear before heading out. Captain, stay and watch him for a short while. And be on the lookout for Wraith or our missing people. Hopefully, they're still alive and not already Wraith's fodder." John murmured as he moved off towards the cloaked Jumper.

oOo

The Wraith commander kept perfectly still while his drone fed on the last worshiper. His sickly smile never faded for a second. His eyes gleamed with great pleasure almost as if he was the one feeding. It seemed he derived some kind of distorted pleasure from watching another human die. A human who had foolishly worshipped his kind for many years thinking himself immune if he did his master's bidding. The Commander's reaction seemed almost psychotic making the survivors wonder if mental illness could also affect a Wraith.

The depleted group from Atlantis continued to watch in terror knowing how unpredictable this Wraith truly was. They were petrified. Left to wonder what their fate would be once that feeding was over. Not knowing if there were more Wraith just waiting beyond the cell? Waiting for their chance to feed? Young Private Selkirk found the strain too much. He curled into a fetal position and went limp on the stone floor, seemingly unconscious. Nobody dared to move to check and see if he was still alive.

The husk of the worshipper landed in a heap at the commander's feet. He gave it one final glance before turning towards them. "Now that my most loyal warriors have fed, we will start our little game. I am sated for now. Eventually, I will need to feed again." He stopped talking for a good few minutes as he stood to stare straight ahead as if to study the furthest stone wall. When he started to speak again, his voice sounded almost robotic. He appeared to be addressing his fellow Wraith, although he continued to stare at the wall. "One of these prisoners must urgently provide a meal for the warrior that guards our ship. He must be so weak with hunger that I can no longer feel his presence or communicate with him." Turning away from studying the wall, the Commander looked directly at them. Eventually, his gaze settled on Private Selkirk's prone body. "He will not provide much of a meal. However, I need the stronger, more active ones for what I have planned." As an afterthought, he added. "However, it seems my warrior will have to wait a little longer until the sickly one rouses from his slumber."

Without seemingly a word from their Commander, one of the warriors nodded and moved over to the Private. Carelessly lifting Selkirk's limp body, he began dragging the unfortunate young man out of the cell. His human companions guessed they would never see him alive again. Of course, they faced their own unpredictable future ahead of them. They were now left alone with just two remaining Wraith. No doubt the other would return just as soon as he had delivered the victim to the Wraith outside. Even though they now outnumbered the Wraith, at the moment they could do nothing about it. Carpenter and Trumble were weaponless, and Finnegan had never fired a shot in his life. Even if they had some form of weapon, the odds were not looking too great. They also didn't know the exact plan the Wraith had in mind for them.

They won't have long to wait for that answer though as the Commander turned to regard them closely. "This cave system is perfect for the game I wish to indulge in, a game of Wraith hunting human. The narrow passageways making up this complex system are ideal for the hunt." He gazed off to stare at the wall again, "How very kind of the Ancestors to build such an excellent system of passageways while searching for their precious crystals." He stopped and turned back to looked down at the withered body of Doctor Stein. "I'm sure that one would have agreed with me. He would also have said that the cave proved useless and the Ancestors moved on to another. The one I believe you stole the firestones from."

Finnegan gulped, now wishing that he hadn't fallen for the promise of riches. Dieter Stein's lifeless eyes were a stark reminder of what his fate could well be. This was not what he came out to Pegasus for. He swore that if by some miracle he made it out of here he would never leave Earth again, no matter what the promised wealth. The monstrous Wraith was right though, the cave seemed nothing like the other. He just hoped it wouldn't be his final resting place. What the Wraith said next didn't hold out much hope against that though. It seemed the monster wanted to chase them through the system's passageways before taking their lives. A kind of cat and mouse game. It made Finnegan shudder as he exchanged a worrying look with the Corporal. As for the General, he'd probably die even quicker than them.

oOo

John quickly gathered the necessary gear. Carson followed him around all the time grumbling about how he shouldn't be going off into some unknown cave system on his newly healed leg. It made John wish he hadn't included his doctor friend on what should have been a straightforward rescue mission. He knew Carson was only looking out for him, but he still felt that getting the General and the others back was his responsibility. He just couldn't sit back and do nothing to help. If his leg had still been banged up, then it would have been an entirely different matter. But it felt fine.

John eventually turned to his friend. "If we find the going too rough and difficult we'll come back and call for reinforcements from Atlantis. Take this trip as just a rec..,"

He never got to finish his sentence because Captain Forbes suddenly rushed up the ramp and called. "We've got company. Looks like a single Wraith warrior coming out of the cave and he's hauling what appears to be a human body."

John gave Carson a concerned look and quickly moved to the open hatchway where Ronon was already gazing out at the Wraith. He had his gun held tightly in his fist as if he couldn't wait to take the Wraith out. John put a restraining hand on his arm. "Let's wait and see who that is first." Then John accepted some binoculars from the Captain. Aiming them at the distant Wraith, he watched for a minute or so. "My guess he's heading for the dart or possibly the other Wraith. Hopefully, he'll think he's just taking a nap."

As the Wraith got closer they finally got a better look at the body he was dragging. A few concerned looks were exchanged before Carson voiced what they all thought. "If I'm not mistaken that looks like young Private Selkirk."

John slowly nodded. "At least we now know the rest of our people are probably in that cave system. Hopefully, they're still alive." John quickly turned and moved to the rear bench. Grabbing a Wraith stunner, he turned to Ronon. "Set your gun on stun. We can't afford to go in shooting just in case Selkirk is still alive. We'll wait until the Wraith reaches his goal, see what he does and then take him out with a stun blast."

It sounded an easy enough task, but as they waited by the open ramp within the cloak, it became obvious that the Wraith was hesitant in his approach. He had moved beyond the dart now and was looking intently at the other warrior who was still propped up against the boulder. Maybe it sensed something amiss about the way the other Wraith looked. After an agonising few minutes or so, the Wraith eventually dragged his victim nearer to the other warrior. Leaving Selkirk on the ground, the Wraith approached and shook the other quite violently. The warrior toppled onto its side and lay still.

John shared a look with Ronon. "Maybe it was dead after all. Okay, let's go deal with the new one."

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

Deadly Intent

Chapter 20

Once again it didn't take long to deal with the Wraith, and although this warrior had put up more of a fight, it hadn't stood a chance. John moved over to check on Selkirk while Ronon dealt with both Wraith. The simultaneous shots of a blaster meant Ronon had indeed dealt with the problem. Although John hadn't actually told him to take them out, he knew they couldn't afford to take any prisoners. He glanced over to see that Ronon was roughly covering the bodies with sand and stones. It wouldn't fool anyone close-up but from a distance, it would keep the bodies from being immediately seen.

John didn't say anything about the dead Wraith as Ronon joined him a few minutes later. He straightened up and turned to Ronon. "The kid's still alive, although he's in a bad way by the looks of it. His shoulder's pretty busted up. Let's get him to Carson and see if the doc can revive him enough to tell us what's going on."

Ronon nodded and gently lifted the young private to carry him to the Jumper. Carson greeted them at the entryway having seen the action from the safety of the cloaked Jumper. Suddenly, the doctor was all business. Instructing Ronon to place Selkirk on one of the back benches, he grabbed his medical case and went about accessing the young man's condition.

John let him work for a short while, but he was anxious to go and try to rescue the others. Eventually, he asked. "How is he?"

Carson turned and looked him in the eye. "His shoulder has been shattered in several places, and because of the way the Wraith dragged him, it's now badly twisted. I'll get it realigned and immobilised for now, but he'll need extensive treatment once we'll back in Atlantis."

"Any chance he'll regain consciousness anytime soon?"

"Actually, he's showing signs of wakefulness, but he seems totally unresponsive at the moment. However, I'll need to put him under to fix his shoulder. It would be a devil to do if he was awake."

John could well believe that having dislocated his shoulder once and the pain that had caused. He guessed a bad break would be even worse. He looked down at the young marine noting how terrible he looked, almost grey with pain. It was his eyes that concerned John the most. They looked vacant. However, they needed information.

Pushing aside his concern, at least for now, John knelt down until he was eye level with the young man. He reached out and put a gentle hand on his lower arm. "Private Selkirk, it's Sheppard, you've been brought onboard a jumper and you're now safe. I some need information so we can go and rescue the others. Can you tell me what happened and where they are exactly?"

Selkirk started shaking and it looked like John would get nothing from him. Then he turned his head to look directly at his C.O. He formed a single word, so quiet that John had to bend over him to hear it. "Wraith."

John kept eye contact with the traumatised marine. "Can you tell me how many?"

Selkirk breathed deeply and closed his eyes as if the answer would be painful to tell. "Th…three. Could be more…could be more," he repeated.

Feeling some hope that the young man would pull out of his shock and give him more useful information, John asked. "Are the Wraith still inside the cave system?" Selkirk nodded briefly.

"Doesn't help much," Ronon quietly commented.

John got up and turned to his teammate. "No, it doesn't, but seeing as he was unconscious when one of them dragged him out, it's unlikely he knows much more anyway. It could be there's only two left, which shouldn't be a problem."

Carson heard him. "Don't get overconfident now. It only takes one to cause an awful lot of trouble."

"You don't need to tell me that, Carson," John answered, thinking of the persistent Wraith he'd encountered during their first year in Pegasus. He knelt before Selkirk, once again, "Are the rest of our people still alive?"

Selkirk didn't answer. His shaking suddenly got considerably worse as if he was reliving an awful experience. Carson moved to put a steadying hand on his good shoulder. "You need to calm down, lad, or you'll cause yourself even more pain." Thankfully, Selkirk calmed down a little after that, although his tremors still persisted. Carson turned to address the others. "Whatever he witnessed as made his PTSD far worse than it already was. He should be on the Daedalus heading home not cowering here half out of his mind."

John nodded and looked up at the doctor. "That's what we'd all like to know, Carson."

"They…they fed on Stein." Selkirk suddenly whispered so low they nearly missed it. "And…the men… the Wraith worshippers…who…who captured us."

Distressed by the fact that one of their people was already dead, John exchanged a look with Ronon before addressing the Private. "You did well, Selkirk. Doctor Beckett will make you more comfortable now while we go and rescue the others." The young marine didn't say anything. In fact, he looked out of it already. John got up and turned to address the rest of his team. "Okay, looks like we could be dealing with a couple of Wraith, plus an untold number of rogue humans. Chief Harris, you and your team stay here for now. If we need your assistance we'll call for help. Lieutenant Becket, stay with the Jumper and be prepared to depart if we need a quick getaway. Captain Forbes and Corporal Lopez you're with us."

Without a further word, the small team left the Jumper. John couldn't help noticing the disapproving look Carson gave him, but thankfully his friend never tried to stop him. He'd just have to make sure he stayed out of trouble. Otherwise, he'd never hear the end of it.

Carson Beckett watched his friend go and sighed. Some things never changed. He had hoped with the responsibility of a family that John wouldn't take such an active role in what could be a very dangerous situation. Yet Carson also knew that was the very nature of the man because John would never sit back and let others risk their lives to do a job that he could do. Carson didn't think for a minute that John's soul concern lay in the life of one totally unpleasant former commanding officer. More than likely, he was also concerned about saving the other two from the same fate as poor Doctor Stein. As Carson turned back to attend to his young patient, he only hoped that the rescue went smoothly and they could all return to Atlantis sooner rather than later.

The trek to the cave system took them about fifteen minutes and a further five to climb up to the cave entry. Switching on their flashlights, the small team entered cautiously. After looking around for a moment, they began to trek along the only route that led to goodness knows where. At least, it was high enough for Ronon to walk comfortably. Shining his large and powerful Maglite onto the walls, John noted that the stone looked like some form of grey granite, pretty uninteresting. Scanning the floor it appeared slightly damp meaning the cave wasn't entirely dry. Not that that was out of the ordinary as most caves John had ever visited had been wet and cold. It certainly didn't look like a cave with rich crystal deposits. Maybe they lay further inside.

As he walked further on, John's leg started to ache just a little from the amount of exercise it was being subjected to. He kept quiet though as Ronon had endured far worse over the time John had known him. Besides, John wasn't one to groan about his suffering, ever. Unlike a certain other, absent team member. John was just grateful he hadn't included Rodney.

Ronon threw him a look as he could sense a slight strain on his friend's face. "You okay?" John simply nodded and Ronon accepted that. That's what Ronon admired about Sheppard. He had the heart of a warrior even though smaller in stature than a good many Satedan fighters he had known. They were cut from the same cloth, strong in endurance and as tough as they came.

The passageway eventually ended into what appeared to be a large cavern. Weapons at the ready they cautiously moved into the space keeping as flush to the walls as they could. However, the cavern appeared deserted apart from what looked like a roughly build room or cell, which was incorporated into what appeared to be a natural alcove. It had a large metal door that currently stood open. Over on the far side, two narrow passageways obviously went farther into the cave system.

While John covered him, Ronon quickly moved over to check the room. Captain Forbes and Corporal Lopez kept an eye on the two passageways.

What Ronon found inside the room left him angry. "Three bodies in there. One's Stein. The others could be the humans Selkirk spoke about. And it smells." He finished holding his nose.

"So they've been dead longer than a few hours."

Ronon shook his head. "Nope. Smells like it was used as a holding cell with no toilet."

John knew what that was like and cringed. Even after only a short time, an enclosed area could begin to smell like a public lavatory with no attendant. He'd encounter a few of those while serving in the Middle East. He knew with three dead bodies the smell would only get worse, although it was fairly cold and damp in the cavern. "Ok, we'll come back for Stein later."

They moved on until they stood before the two separate passageways. The floor was far damper here. In fact, it would be like walking through a very shallow stream in places. Ronon let out a curse of frustration at not being able to see any footprints leading into either passageway.

John looked at his friend and Ronon shrugged. The Colonel let out his own sigh. It would have been nice to have stuck together, but there was nothing for it. They would have to separate. "Captain, you and the Corporal take the left passageway. Take care. We don't want any more casualties."

The Captain acknowledged the command with a nod leaving Ronon and Sheppard to follow the other route and hopefully find their missing people.

oOo

Trumble and his two companions had been running now for what seemed like hours. In reality, it was probably only about thirty minutes or so. The Wraith had given them a head start, but not by much, meaning it was imperative for them to keep moving. The going was proving difficult because they'd only been given some kind of organic lamp to help guide them. The pathetic light it gave off was exceptionally weak and only illuminated a few feet ahead of them.

Before stooping to negotiate yet another dip in the passageway, Corporal Carpenter turned to speak quietly to the exhausted general who was lagging behind him. The older man was slowly losing ground, meaning they had to wait for him to play catch up more often than not. "Come on, sir, we have to stick together, or we'll be more vulnerable."

Trumble looked in dismay at the narrow passageway they had to negotiate next. Halting his progress, he lent against the rock face to get his breath back. "What's the point anyway? Sooner or later that monster is going to track us down. Then…well…that will be it, won't it? There is no place to hide in this horrid cavern, and I'm sure the exit would be blocked even if we could somehow work our way back around."

"Don't be so negative." Finnegan murmured, also keeping his voice very low. "I've no intention of meeting my end in this godforsaken hole." He looked closely at the rocky walls. "I might add it looks like those Ancient folk made these tunnels as they don't appear to be naturally formed." He then looked up at the rough low-lying stone that they yet to negotiate. "At least some of the tunnels. This chunk of granite looks naturally formed," he added as an afterthought.

"And what good is that information to us, you stupid fool? It certainly doesn't show us the way out of here." Trumble commented sarcastically.

Finnegan scowled at the General. He didn't like being called a fool one bit. If the situation hadn't been so critical, he would have taken his fists to the older man. "Because they might just have made more than one exit. I have no idea how far this system runs, but if we keep going ahead, we may be able to find another way out."

Carpenter nodded. "I like the way you think, Finnegan." Then the Corporal exchanged a silent look with the Irishman. They would leave the General behind if it became necessary. Neither of them intended to lose their lives because the older man couldn't keep up.

They trudged on for another twenty minutes or so, stepping over rocky outcrops and stooping to avoid overheads. It became clear to Finnegan that this part of the system was natural and that the Ancients hadn't venture this far in with their drilling machines. Meaning the prospect of finding another exit was growing less likely. On the next turn, they encountered yet another cavernous area. Most alarming was the fact there appeared to be no other passageways leading away from it other than the one they'd just come from. In other words, it was a dead end. To add to that problem, there also appeared to be a drop off leading down into goodness knows where.

Finnegan carefully edged forwards to glance down. He gulped when he nearly stepped off the edge by accident. "Looks like we'll have to double back and take the other passage we saw."

Trumble rubbed his tired eyes. "And no doubt encounter the Wraith head-on."

"Have you got any better suggestions, General? Like dropping off this cliff to see where it leads?"

Trumble sighed and turned back towards the way they had come. "I think it's too late anyway," he murmured as the Wraith commander and his one remaining warrior emerged from the passageway.

"Ah…I see you have entered into the very situation I was hoping for. And amble is all you did. Considering what you have to lose, I am surprised you did not run." The Wraith grinned evilly. "My hunger now grows great from such a tediously slow trek."

Scared out of their minds, the three humans backed up a little, but they had nowhere to go other than down into the abyss.

The Wraith had brought more light with them and it illuminated the area quite well. The cavern wasn't as big as they thought and the shelf between the passageway and drop off was much narrower than they would have liked. Meaning, the Wraith could easily reach them and feed.

The ever observant geologist noticed that despite what he had first thought there was another narrow passageway over to one side. It wasn't very well-defined and could easily be just a short tunnel leading to nowhere. On the other hand, it could be an escape route. Finnegan had no intention of sharing that information with his companions. He would wait for a distraction and then quietly slip away if he got the opportunity.

The two Wraith fully emerged from the passageway and onto the narrow shelf coming dangerously close to the humans. It forced them to step back a little towards the drop-off. Finnegan used the opportunity to move nearer to the other exit. No one seemed to notice.

The Commander licked his lips, baring his horrid teeth. Flexing his feeding hand, he suddenly lunged towards Trumble. The General froze on the spot as the Wraith's hand landed squarely on his chest. What happened next was a bit of a blur. Trumble felt his life force drain out of him, and he expected to die. Then he heard shots ring out and shouting. There was movement around him. Although his ears were buzzing and he was in considerable pain, he recognised Sheppard's voice and heard what sounded like an inhuman growl from somewhere.

It took him a moment to realise that the Wraith commander had removed its hand from his chest. The creature appeared to be standing to one side of him. Carpenter was saying something to Sheppard, but the words sounded jumbled. Something about Finnegan escaping and the Wraith warrior giving chase.

Then suddenly the buzzing cleared, and Trumble distinctly heard Sheppard say. "Ronon take the other out and bring Finnegan back!" Sheppard's next words didn't make much sense to the General. "Now give him back the life you took or I'll blow your brains out."

The next thing Trumble heard was an awful screeching laugh. It echoed around the cavern sounding like some badly made horror movie. "I think not! I will feed on you before this day is out."

A shot rang out and the Wraith staggered back a little. "I said revive him!" Sheppard's shout appeared to echo.

Trumble was getting his vision back now, and he could clearly see Sheppard standing behind the Wraith with his gun barrel pointed squarely towards its head. There was black blood oozing from the Wraith's shoulder. The creature then moved to stand near him again. His mad eyes stared at him, full of menace and contempt.

Trumble visibly trembled and the Wraith laughed. "This one is old and weak, so I will do as you ask. Then I will feed on you." The Wraith suddenly lunged forward again to press his hand against Trumble's chest.

In that moment, the General expected to die. Instead, he felt his life force renewed. It didn't take long to revive him as the Wraith hadn't fed much. The creature disengaged and snarled before edging back a little.

Another shot rang out and the Wraith snarled louder. Then he started making a horrible eerie sound that once again echoed around the cavern. He stopped the noise just as quickly as he had started. "Like all humans, you are cowardly and cannot kill me. I sense your life force is strong. I will enjoy feeding upon you before this day is out."

John couldn't believe what he heard. Obviously, this Wraith was a little crazy and totally out of touch. Not that John expected him to know who he was or his reputation for killing Wraith. However, an informed Wraith would have recognised an Atlantis weapon when they saw one and put two and two together. It made John wonder exactly where this particular Wraith had come from.

John looked at him eye to eye and calmly said. "You're mistaken. I have no qualms about killing you."

The Wraith must have seen something in Sheppard's eyes. He suddenly scrambled backwards as if to make a run for it. A single bullet rang out at close range and the Wraith staggered back from the impact, bringing him dangerously close to the drop-off. The Commander looked over his shoulder and started to panic. He tried to scramble away from the edge. John shot him again. This time the impact caused him to lose his balance. For a few seconds, the Wraith teetered on the edge, only to end up spilling over into the chasm.

Knowing how resilient the Wraith could be, John's instinct was to go and check that the Commander had indeed fallen to his death. Now fully recovered and feeling quite rejuvenated, Trumble watched as Sheppard aimed his P90 towards the drop-off and edged closer. A sickly smile crept across the General's face. Despite the fact that Sheppard had just saved him, this was the opportunity he needed.

Feet well apart, John secured his stance and peered over the lip of the drop-off. The Wraith was nowhere in sight and John was pretty sure he was gone for good. Just as he was about to turn back, he felt a firm weight push against him. Instinctively, John tried to regain his balance, but the edge was slightly inclined. His feet slipped and he landed with a thud on his backside before slithering further towards the edge. Desperate to save himself, he tried to throw his weight backwards as he looked for anything to hold onto. There was nothing.

The next thing John knew, he was in free fall as gravity won out.

TBC

AN

 _Bit longer chapter today but sorry about the evil cliffy._ _Grins... Have a great Sunday and second Advent._


	21. Chapter 21

_AN:- Didn't like to keep you waiting too long after that cliffy from yesterday so there's the next chapter. Enjoy._

Deadly Intent

Chapter 21

His mind vaguely registered that someone had deliberately forced him to lose his balance and go over. No cat involved this time and he was pretty sure it was one of his own people as there had been no other Wraith in the cavern at the time. However, John really didn't have time to consider that as he tumbled down into the unknown. It was unlikely to matter anyway as his chances of survival were pretty slim. No doubt a hard and rocky landing awaited him this time around. Death would be instant.

Although it had probably only been a matter of seconds since he'd gone over, it seemed as if time was passing slowly during his never-ending plunge. Also the deeper he fell the more his velocity seemed to slow down a little instead of speeding up. Although, he was still hurtling downwards into the unknown there was a definite resistance, quite a powerful one at that. It felt like falling into a thick soup. Somehow it just didn't seem normal. _Would it be enough to save him though?_ John didn't think so because his rate of descent was still quite high.

It was fairly dark, but he could just make out the sheer rocky walls of the crevice. They began to look wet and kind of glittery. Thinking the end couldn't be that far off now, John wanted his last thoughts to be of Teyla and the children and not the strange environment that now surrounded him. Sad with the knowledge that he would never see them again, he asked them to forgive him.

Then suddenly with a jarring jolt, he hit turbulent, cold water instead of the solid rock John had expected. It still came as a terrible shock. Automatically gasping for air, he swallowed far too much water as he was thrown about like clothes in a washing machine. For the next few minutes, he fought hard to get his bearings. To fully comprehend what was happening to him and to find enough air to breathe as his lungs screamed for more. At the very last moment, he suddenly broke surface amid a torrent of rushing water. He desperately panted for more air before the current pushed him back under again.

This time, however, he had his bearings and managed to resurface fairly quickly. Despite that, it was a struggle to stay afloat as he was pushed along into the unknown. Luckily, he felt no pain as he kicked his legs in a desperate bid to tread the water. He'd been more or less straight when he'd hit the water, so the impact hadn't been as hard as it could have been. Otherwise, his injured leg may have snapped again along with other possible injuries from the impact. Regardless, John knew he was quickly tiring, as fighting the torrent was like going ten rounds with Ronon on his best day.

He continued to struggle against the current while trying his hardest to locate a possible shallow area or something to grab hold of. However, the underground river had other ideas as it whirled around his body, pulling at his clothing like some demented demon trying its hardest to drag him back down again.

He suddenly entered a slightly calmer area and was able to stay afloat for a longer period even though the fast flowing water continued to sweep him along its path without a care. The calm probably wouldn't last long, so he knew in order to survive he would need to shed some gear. He reached down and struggled to release the clasp holding his holster and his handgun. It was difficult going as his fingers were getting numb with the cold. Somehow he managed it, leaving him feeling totally naked as he'd already lost his P90 in the freefall. Losing the holster made a small difference but not much. So something else had to go either his TAC vest or the heavy boots. Assuming he could manage to remove them. He didn't get the chance this time around as the water got turbulent again. After a short struggle, he lost the battle to stay afloat and sank beneath the gushing water for the third time.

oOo

Unable to believe what he'd just witnessed, Corporal Carpenter felt his heart pounding in his chest. He was in shock, not knowing what to do or say next. Although just to be on the safe side, he slowly edged further away from the drop-off. Open mouthed he stared at Trumble, eyes unblinking as the older man finally moved away from the edge. That a superior officer had just deliberately pushed another into the unknown was…well, it was unthinkable. Chances were that Colonel Sheppard was now dead. Instead of feeling relieved, Carpenter felt great remorse. He now fully understood what his uncle had gone through all those years ago and the mercy Sheppard had shown by ending his life. Having witnessed the General's deadly action, Carpenter now realised that his own life could well be in danger if the man should turn against him. He wisely decided to remain silent.

Trumble slowly turned to him with a deadly look. "You will keep this to yourself or the consequences for you and your family will be very grave. Do I make myself clear? I have connections in very high places…." The General was going to say more but never got the chance as Ronon came bounding out of the hidden passageway with a rather shaken Frank Finnegan in tow.

The Irish geologist looked as white as s sheet. "I…I nearly got fed upon!" he screeched. "If Mr Dex hadn't turned up when he did I would have been toast for sure."

Ronon wasn't really listening as he looked around the cavern. Confusion clouded his face. "Where's Sheppard?" he growled.

Trumble threw Carpenter a final warning before pointing to the drop-off. "He got into a fight with the Wraith. They didn't watch where they were treading and both went over the edge."

Ronon looked shocked. He suddenly moved forward and grabbed the older man by the collar. "When?" he shouted just inches from the General's face.

"About three minutes ago, at a guess. Now kindly back off! I've had enough manhandling for one day, thank you."

Ronon growled again. For a minute it looked like he wanted to throw the man over the edge, too. Eventually, he stepped back and remained still for a moment or so. Trumble and the others witnessed a great deal of distress and sorrow pass over the big man's face.

Carpenter swallowed hard and picked up the Wraith's fallen light from where it had been dropped very close the edge. He swung it back and forth trying to see into the abyss below. Carpenter felt Ronon move to stand beside him. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "The Colonel was a good man."

Ronon swallowed around the lump in his throat. Being very careful he looked down, but couldn't see anything other than a never-ending chasm. Finnegan joined him near the edge. He gulped but didn't say anything. Steadying his nerves, Ronon took a deep breath. He couldn't believe his friend was gone. In fact, he flatly refused to accept it. He turned back to the others and said. "Find your own way out. I'm going to get help!"

Ronon left the cavern at a run. Trumble shouted after him, "No one could have survived that fall, you fool!" Turning back to the others, Trumble scowled. "If he were in the US military, I would have had him pulled over the coals for that. Instead, he leaves us to fend for ourselves when there could be more of those monsters lurching about."

Corporal Carpenter looked at him with disdain. "You're lucky to be alive, sir. Don't forget Colonel Sheppard saved you from a monster before…his…his fall. So it's perfectly understandable that Ronon Dex would want to try and rescue him."

Finnegan gave Carpenter a questioning glance as there was something about the way the Corporal had looked at the General that didn't seem quite normal. The Irishman decided to remain silent for now. They needed to get away from here, but he intended to ask the young man what the hell really happened when the opportunity arose. In private, of course.

oOo

"Where the bloody hell did this storm come from?" Carson groaned as he watched streams of water sliding down the Jumper's windshield.

In Carson's opinion, it was equally as bad as the storm they'd encounter on Lantea during their first year in Atlantis. A storm that had nearly destroyed the city. That time they'd at least had some warning whereas this storm had arrived out of nowhere about thirty minutes ago. One minute the sun had been shining, high in a clear blue sky and in the next moment, the atmosphere had gone as black as night. A fierce wind had picked up after that, followed by the loudest and biggest display of thunder and lightning some of the Jumper's occupants had ever witnessed. A few minutes later, the thunder clouds had opened with a torrential, ground soaking downpour. It had been darn right scary at times as the lightning had sizzled and flashed as bright as any sun whenever it had touched ground. They could almost feel the electricity in the air, almost see it. Luckily, the Jumper hadn't sustained a direct hit. At least so far.

James Becket simply shook his head. "We never got anything like this, even in the highlands. I've only seen rain something like it in the tropics. But this is an alien planet, so I guess anything goes."

"Aye. At least it seems to be easing off a little at last and the lightning is moving away. We can even see something of the landscape now."

For several minutes, the two Scotsmen and some of the combat engineers stared out of the windshield trying to make out terrain that had dramatically changed. Gone was the dry, arid land to be replaced by a rain-soaked, muddy expanse. They could see what had once been a dried up creek was now a torrential, fast flowing river. It flowed dangerously close to the downed dart and not that far from their craft. At the moment, it didn't pose any real danger and if the storm continued to abate it wouldn't affect them.

Seeing it, Carson swallowed hard. "Good job it's easing off otherwise we could have been swept away."

Lieutenant Becket suddenly grabbed some powerful binoculars and trained them on the newly formed river. He followed the course all the way to the cliff face. "That river is flowing towards the cave system," He murmured. "I hope our people are okay and not flooded out?"

oOo

Ronon was making record time when he nearly ran smack bang into Captain Forbes and Corporal Lopez as they emerged from the other passageway. "Whoa, Ronon! Steady on! What's the rush?"

Slowing down slightly, Ronon shouted. "I need to get some combat engineers for a rescue. Follow the passageway I've just come from and join up with that damn General and his friends."

The big man was nearly out of hearing range by the time he had said it all. So Captain Forbes had to shout his question. "Who needs rescuing?"

"Sheppard!" The name was somehow amplified by the rocks, so it came out loud and clear. Forbes and Lopez exchanged a worried look before entering the passageway to find the others.

It didn't take long for them to locate the General and his companions. Tumble grumbled and complained bitterly about almost everything as if the whole Wraith encounter had been a setup by Atlantis. Captain Forbes had to politely remind the man that it was sometimes unavoidable as the Wraith could appear at any time. Then Trumble had the audacity to mutter something about it all being Sheppard's fault, which was definitely unfair as the Colonel hadn't even been aware of their off-world trip.

Corporal Carpenter threw a noticeable scowl at his superior officer before reminding him of Sheppard's likely demise. Captain Forbes then asked what had happened. Carpenter decided to remain silent while Trumble explained things once again. It left Finnegan to ponder a little more as the story hadn't been quite the same, meaning something was definitely off. Also, the older man told it without an ounce of remorse. The Irishman continued to ponder as they slowly made their way back up the cave system.

oOo

Ronon skidded to a halt as he nearly lost his footing on the cave entry floor, which was now covered in water and muddy sediment. Getting his balance back, he cautiously made his way over the treacherous surface until he finally reached the open air. Standing at the top of the ridge, he stopped for a minute to gulp in some much-needed air and take in the scene below him. Gone was the dry sandy ground to be replaced by a rain-soaked landscape. That didn't stop him though. Taking another deep breath, he quickly descended and started a steady jog towards the Jumper and the combat engineers there in. They would need climbing equipment and the like, but Ronon knew the experts would be ready and willing.

He arrived back at the Jumper ten minutes later and was right about their willingness. After gasps and disbelief from the Jumper's occupants, the engineers quickly began to assemble their gear. Carson moved to repack his medical case while muttering something about stubborn colonels. Young Selkirk lay comfortable and heavily sedated, so he wouldn't need Carson's help for some hours to come. So Carson decided there was no reason why he shouldn't join in the rescue attempt.

Ronon watched the doctor for a moment. He knew Carson was worried sick as they all were. For a minute, he was going to stop the doctor from coming with them but soon had second thoughts. If Sheppard was somehow still alive, no doubt he would need the doctor's help. In the end, Ronon decided not to say anything. After ordering Lieutenant Becket to remain on the planet no matter what Trumble might say or do, they quickly left the Jumper to head back to the cave system.

The Lieutenant watched them go, sadden by the fact it was probably already too late for the Colonel. He knew once Trumble arrived he was probably in for a difficult time. Although, if Captain Forbes was with them he wouldn't be the most senior officer. No matter what, James quickly decided he would back Captain Forbes no matter what the General might order. He owned it to the Colonel as he had had a great deal of respect for the man.

oOo

All in all, it took the rescue team a good forty minutes before they arrived back in the fateful cavern. By now, the pesky general and his companions should be safely onboard the Jumper. They'd had the misfortune of meeting up with Trumble and the others near the cave entry. During the short encounter, Ronon had quietly given the Captain orders that they were not to head back to Atlantis before hearing from them. Forbes had given a short nod before leading his group outside.

Chief Engineer Harris carefully edged towards the drop-off to take a look down. He silently winced at what he saw, as did the others as they joined with him. Harris didn't like to destroy Ronon's hopes, but in his opinion, no one could have survived the fall. It brought a hint of sadness to the long-serving combat engineer as he had genuinely liked Colonel Sheppard despite his teasing ways.

It was Carson who pointed out the truth as he told them something no one wanted to accept. "If the lad went down there…well." The Scot had to clear his throat as a lump formed and tears threatened to fall. To him, it appeared that his services would not be needed after all. He continued to watch in a daze as the engineers began to prepare for an exploratory descent.

He thought about poor Teyla and the children. Wondering how the hell they were going to be able to tell them that John was lost.

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

Deadly Intent 22

The first sensation John felt was a terrible ache in his side. Although his mind was incredibly muddled at the present time, at least the throbbing pain told him he was still alive. He did recall the never-ending battle to stay afloat in the wild and horribly cold water. At some stage out of desperation, he had somehow managed to shed his boots in favour of trying to keep his precious TAC vest and its contents. Yet right now, he couldn't even recall if he still had his vest or not. Unfortunately, it seemed like his socks had also gone when he had literally forced his boots off with hands and feet. Somehow he'd managed to undo the laces without tangling them, but he remembered that being quite an exhausting task. Losing his boots had probably saved him from drowning though. Now he was left barefooted, which was probably a disadvantage and could cause him umpteen problems.

As things began to become a little clearer, John began to wonder why he wasn't swimming anymore. Come to think of it, why wasn't he dead? The last thing he remembered was hitting a rocky protrusion with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs. Not that he'd had much in them, to begin with. Now he appeared to be lying face down on a solid surface and certainly not in fast flowing water anymore. Wherever this was it was incredibly dark. For a minute, John wondered if he'd lost his eyesight. He began to panic a little until he focused on the ground where he could just make out a small wet looking pebble an inch or so from his nose. At least he hoped it was a pebble because on closer inspection the object appeared to have legs. Trying not to panic again, he attempted to move his left hand as it seemed to be jammed under his body. A silent curse left his lips as the pain intensified as he pulled his hand free. The worst of his pain was centred just below his rib cage at about the same spot as an old injury he'd incurred some years back when Michael's stronghold had collapsed on them. A renewed injury in that spot could spell trouble for him as it might mean a bruised liver or something worse. At least now he knew that he still had his TAC vest on, so he just needed to roll over and try to inspect the damaged area once he'd retrieved the small flashlight he always carried in his top pocket. He also needed to gain access to his other pockets and the essential supplies he hoped were still intact. Although, no doubt somewhat soggy.

The pebble like object suddenly moved to crawl over his hand. Although John felt it more than saw it, it was enough incentive to get him to move. Despite the pain, he knew he had to do it as he couldn't stay here forever. Not if he wanted a chance of surviving this ordeal. A longing suddenly swept through him, a desperate need to get back to his family and hopefully bring someone to justice. Of the two in the chamber with him at the time, John had a very good idea who might have pushed him. However, proving it could be very difficult. John was stubborn though and he liked challenges, meaning he would do his utmost to bring the bastard down. In order to do that, however, he needed to find his way out of this situation first off.

Thinking it through, John decided that this place was obviously part of an underground river system. Logically speaking that meant there had to be an exit somewhere. Therefore his best bet was to follow the flow of the river and hope that it didn't lead to some underground lake or a passage too narrow for him to pass through. John had no desire to re-enter the water again, although he knew he may not have a choice in the matter.

On the count of three, he gritted his teeth and carefully rolled onto his left side before moving onto his back. The pain in his side flared big time, sending what felt like lightning-bolts up to his neck. Breathing through it, he rested for a few counts hoping that it would calm down. Then something large crawled near his ear and convinced him that the ground under him was covered in more of those peddle, bug-like things. His fear of bugs quickly drove him to sit up. The effort left him panting, if not a little dizzy. The pain in his side, which had been really bad at the beginning of the manoeuvre, thankfully began to ease after a few minutes. Maybe the injury wasn't as bad as he thought. Hopefully, it was just a bad bruise. He couldn't check it out right at this minute because he couldn't see enough to do it.

Another effort had him on his feet a few minutes later. He fumbled in his pockets for the small LED flashlight. It wasn't as powerful as the big one he'd used to guide them through the passageways. That one must be down in the river somewhere, having lost it during his unplanned descent. Although his fingers weren't very cooperative at the moment, he eventually managed to remove the flashlight in its small Ziploc bag. It was still dry because of that. John quickly took it out and switched it on. The powerful little beam hit the floor causing him to cringe. He'd been right. The area around him moved with all kinds of bugs. It was like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. His bug phobia made him stagger away as quickly as possible. Discomfort flared in his bare feet when he stumbled over some particularly sharp stones. A few seconds later, he nearly landed back on the ground when he slipped on what appeared to be some slime covered rocks. He managed to right himself before any harm was done. Wondering why the rocks were so slippery, John aimed to the flashlight on them. They appeared to be covered in some kind of black mossy growth making them really treacherous to walk on.

John was thoughtful for a moment. If it really was some kind of algae then how the heck was it thriving without sunlight? He didn't have a clue about that, however, right now he had far more important concerns like getting out of here. Being very careful indeed, he stepped over the rocks to what looked like the river bank. Yet all he saw was a stream of fairly calm looking water and not the raging torrent he remembered so well. The water seemed to be flowing fairly fast in one direction though. A direction he hoped would lead him to the outside world.

Before following the route, he took a few minutes to gain some strength. As well as his poor feet, the pain in his side had flared with every step he had taken, especially when he'd nearly fallen. Now that he had some light he had a chance to inspect his side. Carefully lifting his soggy shirt, John winced when he saw a deep, angry looking gash just below his rib cage. It had bled quite a bit already, but because of the darkness and the fact his clothes were soaking wet, he hadn't noticed the sticky stain on his black BDU's. Taking a deep breath, John knew he had to stop the bleeding or he'd become weak from blood loss. Holding his flashlight between his teeth, he searched for his first aid kit and the field dressing it held. The manoeuvre proved difficult due to his cold and wet fingers. Once he had the first aid kit out, he fumbled with the packaging for another few minutes. After nearly dropping it at one stage, he eventually managed to get the dressing unfolded. He wasted no time in pressing it against his side. A sharp pain shot through him and he nearly cried out with it, but fear of losing or breaking the flashlight kept him from doing so. A few minutes later, he finally had the dressing wrapped around his torso. Probably not the most elegant way, but it had to do. He was still in pain though. Although his first aid kit contained several doses of Morphine, he decided not to use it as he needed to stay fully alert. The Wraith could have gone this way, too. He could also still be alive and out there somewhere ready to feed. John didn't like to think of it because he no longer had a weapon to defend himself.

Switching his thoughts back to pain relief, he pulled out a packet of Ibuprofen. Luckily they were packed in tin foil so were completely dry. He popped two into the palm of his hand and quickly swallowed them. Then he took a very small gulp of water from his bottle as he really didn't need any more at the moment. He still felt like he'd swallowed half the river not long back.

"Maybe that's where all the water has gone to," he jokily muttered to himself.

Finally ready, John took a deep breath and started along the way. The going was difficult, every step caused him pain. Yet his stubborn determination and will to live drove him onwards.

oOo

Lieutenant Josepha Montero was the first to descend as he had the most experience in cave exploration and rock climbing. The agile combat engineer originally came from Ecuador. His family had relocated to California when he was a teenager. Able to attend good schools because of his father's successful business ventures, Josepha graduated with honours at the age of eighteen. He took full US citizenship as soon as he could and after college, he had enlisted in the US Army Corps of Engineers. Being good at what he did, he had been chosen to enter the Stargate program some years back and eventually ended up in Atlantis, which he'd loved from the word go. Now he had the unenviable task of finding his CO. Like everyone else, he didn't think the Colonel had a chance of survival after falling down into the chasm.

Being extra vigilant in case of unexpected rock outcrops or the like, his colleagues above slowly lowered him down. Sporting a powerful built-in light on his helmet, the Lieutenant was able to see the rocky surroundings of the abyss as he descended. He cringed at the solid looking rock knowing that the bottom would be just as hard. He certainly wasn't looking forward to what he might find down there. Like the chief, he'd had a great deal of respect for Sheppard. He knew it would take a lot of strength and courage to face the crushed, lifeless body of well-liked colonel.

Suddenly as if out of nowhere, he could feel a bit of a strange drag. It seemed to slow him down considerably, which was very bizarre, to say the least. He didn't have much time to think about it, when much to his surprise, his feet hit cold water and not the expected hard rocky ground. He quickly pulled on the rope and they stopped lowering him so he could assess things. It seemed the drop off hadn't been quite as deep as they'd estimated. It was still a fair way down, but nothing like they'd feared.

Focusing his helmet on the distant walls, Josepha was once again surprised at the size of yet another massive chamber. The rocky walls appeared to have more mineral deposits in them than the level above because every time Josepha hit a vein with his light, he caught a glimpse of gleaming material. When he aimed his light on the crevice walls they seemed to be covered with much more of the glittery minerals. In fact, it positively shimmered and he vaguely wondered if that had something to do with slowing the rate of descent. However, right now, he wasn't interested in that. He needed to find the Colonel as soon as possible in case he was still alive and injured. Moving his head around, the Lieutenant slowly scanned the area, searching the rocky banks on either side of the water for any sign of him. Seeing nothing, Josepha began to focus on the river, which ran dark and murky. The channel wasn't all that wide and it didn't appear to be very deep. However, it was difficult to tell.

Josepha knew what he had to do next. Firstly, he needed to get to the nearest dry bank and follow the waterway to find out just how far it extended into the massive cavern. He knew the flow could have carried the Colonel even further down the system. That would need to be investigated. The Lieutenant shouted his findings up to the people above and before he knew it someone was being lowered to join him. He wasn't at all surprised to see Ronon come into view wearing a helmet with a light.

As soon as Ronon drew level with him, Josepha could see that the helmet didn't really fit him at all well as it sat perched on the top of his dreadlocked head. Finding it difficult to keep a straight face, Josepha cleared his throat and remarked. "We need to get over onto that rocky bank,"

As impulsive as ever, Ronon simply tugged the rope twice to indicate that he needed more slack. The people above didn't question it as they slowly lowered him until he was in the water. His feet soon hit the bottom, although the water level still came up to his chest. Ronon then quickly freed himself from his harness.

Josepha looked at him open-mouthed. "You could have been swept away if the water had been deeper or with a fast undercurrent."

Ronon shook his head. "Na, it was deeper not so long ago, but it's receding right now. If it rains again we could be in trouble," he muttered as he began to carefully make his way over to the nearest bank.

The Lieutenant gulped at the statement. He'd witnessed the speed of the storm and the amount of rain that had come with it. Until now he hadn't connected the downpour to this underground waterway, but it did make sense. Hope suddenly flared and he turned to address Ronon. "If the water had been deeper when the Colonel fell into it, he could still be alive somewhere up the system," he said, pointing in the direction of the flow.

"Yep, I'm banking on it." Without another word, Ronon started to move off leaving the Lieutenant to find his own way onto the opposite embankment.

Somehow despite his much shorter height, Josepha made it and was soon searching the other side for any sign of his CO. Well aware that there was a Wraith that could be still alive out there, too.

oOo

While the rescue team began their search, out in the Jumper things were not going all that smoothly. Having finally arrived no more than fifteen minutes ago, General Trumble was now insisting that they returned to Atlantis immediately. His shouts and demands only added to the already anxious and worried crew. Souring the atmosphere in the little craft even more.

Captain Forbes took a deep breath before saying through gritted teeth, "With all due respect, sir, we are not leaving our people alone when there could be other Wraith out there." The Captain didn't think that was the case, and he certainly didn't voice that opinion before continuing, "We also need to find the Colonel and bring his body home. That's the least we can do for his family and friends."

Trumble looked down his nose, his face showing a great deal of contempt. He almost seemed to gloat as he said. "There will be nothing left to find. That drop was never-ending. His remains, should they find any, will be nothing but a blood stain on the rocky floor."

A look of total disbelief and shock registered on the faces of the two other survivors and the remaining servicemen alike. Not believing their ears because how could the man be so incredibly callous?

James Becket noticed that young Corporal Carpenter went even paler after the General's words. He knew the Marine had been witness to the Colonel's fall, but it made James wonder about his unusual behaviour since his return to the Jumper. He seemed overly solemn and unusually withdrawn. The young man had never expressed a great of admiration or liking for the Colonel, so why should his death affect him so. Or maybe the close encounter with the Wraith had affected him as much as poor Selkirk.

Anyway, James was now angry beyond words. He'd had enough of the General's heartless attitude. "The Colonel was a highly respected officer and hero to us all. You will please kindly refrain from dismissing him like…like a piece of throwaway garbage…sir. Ronon and the others will find him and return his remains for the memorial and honour he truly deserves. Atlantis will not be the same without him."

"I'm sure it will be a far better and more organised base." Trumble moved closer to the Lieutenant. "And in future, you will not tell me how to act or what comments I can state. Do I make myself clear?"

"I wasn't telling you, sir. I was just asking you to be more respectful."

The General huffed and muttered under his breath. "We'll see how long you have a position on Atlantis once I'm in charge. Now you will fly us to the Gate and back to Atlantis immediately, Lieutenant!"

Knowing he was the only one who could fly the Jumper. James silently picked up some gear and, instead of going to the pilot seat, he calmly walked out of the Jumper's rear hatch.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" The General's roared after him.

"To help with the recovery!" James shouted back.

"You will come back immediately! Do you hear me!" When James didn't stop or turn around, the General shouted to his back. "I'll have you court marshalled for this! You damn Scottish moron. "

James gritted his teeth but didn't react to the insult knowing that's probably what the General wanted. He carried on walking knowing that his career was probably over. Yet right now he couldn't care less because the best commander he'd ever served under was dead. He simply didn't want to serve any man's army ever again. Especially, if God forbid that awful General should be in charge. No, Atlantis would never be the same again and the thought depressed him.

Back in the Jumper, Captain Forbes smiled to himself at the Lieutenant's courage and actions. "Looks like we'll be staying until everyone returns, General. The Lieutenant was only one able to fly us out of here right now."

Without a word, Trumble dropped into the pilot's seat and looked at the controls. "How do you start this bloody thing?"

Captain Forbes moved to stand behind him. "I didn't know you could fly a plane, sir?"

"I'm a fully qualified pilot, Captain. Flying this thing shouldn't be that difficult."

"Right, sir."

Forbes said nothing more. The General turned around to look at him angrily. "Well, man, where's the starter switch or button or whatever?"

Knowing the General probably didn't have the ATA gene. The Captain decided to have some fun. He hated the man's guts anyway. "The Jumper has neither, sir. You just have to run your hands over the control input screen and think…on."

"I beg your pardon?"

"The craft was designed to be flown by people with the ATA gene only, sir. In order to fly it, you need the gene and the ability to give clear and precise mental commands." Forbes doubted Trumble had that ability to do any of that. And he was proven right when the General failed to get any reaction out of the craft. "I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to wait until the Lieutenant returns."

Trumble struck the control panel with a powerful blow and growled loudly. The noise he made echoed around the Jumper. It was even loud enough to disturb the heavy sedated Private Selkirk from his sleep. He groaned and moved restlessly before settling down again.

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

Deadly Intent 23

Back at the Stargate, Sergeant Flynn checked his watch for the umpteenth time. Hours had gone by since the Jumper had left and there was still no word from the Colonel. In about five minutes, Atlantis would no doubt be dialling in to check on them. The rescue teams scheduled contact had come and gone over an hour ago. Because of the distance from the Gate, the check had been scheduled only if things had gone smoothly and they could return. It appeared things hadn't gone according to plan and the Sergeant was beginning to get more than a little concerned.

He would have contacted Atlantis before now but didn't want to risk the possibility of alerting the Wraith. The Colonel's team should have dealt with the single dart by now, although there was a possibility that they hadn't found it yet. No other darts had come through, which was one blessing. The thing that hadn't been was the weather. Flynn was still soaked through after the heaviest downpour he'd never lived through. It had hit a couple of hours ago and hadn't lasted that long before moving off in the direction of the caves where the rescue was hopefully taking place. Flynn had hoped it would blow itself out before reaching his fellow Atlanteans, but the sky in the far distance had been awfully black for quite a while.

The activation of the chevrons on the Stargate suddenly announced a possible contact. Flynn stayed well hidden and ready just in case it was another Wraith dart. The Sergeant relaxed a little when the event horizon settled and nothing came through. His radio suddenly came to life and Woolsey's voice called for an update. Flynn explained everything he knew about the situation so far. He could almost visualise Woolsey's face as he acknowledged the need for caution. Then the Atlantis leader announced that he would be sending Colonel Lorne's team through to assist.

That was the news that Flynn longed to hear as he was worried about the others and somewhat bored from the long wait. So the Sergeant requested a replacement for gate duty so he could go with Lorne's team. Much to Flynn's relief, Woolsey readily agreed.

Ten minutes later, the Stargate activated again and a single jumper came through. Flynn quickly ran over to it once the craft had landed. He entered a few minutes later and was surprised to see Doctor McKay sitting behind the co-pilot's seat. Flynn didn't say a word as Lorne greeted him. The Sergeant settled himself behind Lorne. Then after dropping off a couple of marines for gate duty, Lorne took the Jumper up into the air and flew off in the direction Flynn told him to go.

The distance was covered in no time and even though the rescue team weren't at the expected coordinates they soon made contact with them. Landing the Jumper next to the other one, Lorne, McKay and a few others made their way over to see what was going on. Upon entering the other jumper they noticed the dreadful tension in the air. It was almost palatable and positively unpleasant.

The minute Trumble saw them he immediately accosted Lorne, coming well within his personal space. "Major, you will fly me out of here immediately," he barked.

Not liking that one bit, Evan quickly backed up. He wanted to correct the General on using his old rank, but McKay had placed himself between them. "Who the hell made you the boss?"

Moving around Rodney and ignoring him for now, Evan asked. "What's going on here anyway and where's Colonel Sheppard?"

The tension suddenly got even thicker, most noticeably amongst the Atlantis staff. Trumble got in first before anyone else could break the news. "Sheppard's dead and so is that obnoxious German geologist," he said coldly, leaving everyone from Lorne's team in total shock. "And now that's out of the way, you will return me to Atlantis immediately. Is that understood?"

Rodney went as white as a ghost and moved to sit down. He wasn't hearing things right. He couldn't be. John just didn't do dying thing for real. Having sat down for no more than a few seconds, he sprang up and shouted. "You cold heart bastard!"

Trumble turned to him in rage. "You will not speak to me like that!"

Lorne had been in shock just like the rest of his people. He'd been about to ask for details when Rodney had interrupted. Although he thoroughly agreed with the scientist's assessment, he needed to get the full facts. "Sir, please. Let's just settle down for a minute. You too, McKay," He gave Rodney a firm look and was thankful when the man backed off. Lorne turned back to address the General, "That's very disturbing news indeed…sir. Naturally, we'd like to know what happened."

Thankfully, the General had calmed down enough to answer. "Incompetence is what happened."

Captain Forbes stepped forward at that moment. "With all due respect, sir, that's not fair. From what I understand the Colonel and Ronon saved you, along with Corporal Carpenter and Doctor Finnegan from the Wraith. Unfortunately, according to your report, the Colonel ended up falling into a deep chasm along with the Wraith Commander when they got into a fight."

"As I said incompetence. I mean who in their right mind would take on that monster in hand to hand combat?"

"I see," Lorne said. He didn't notice the strange look that Frank Finnegan exchanged with Corporal Carpenter. He didn't need to as he found the explanation very hard to believe. "And Ronon was witness to this?" he asked suddenly looking around. "Where is he anyway? And the others?"

"They went back to the cave system to recover the Colonel's body, sir." The Captain answered before the General could get a word in. "And as far as I understand, Ronon wasn't with the Colonel when it happened. Isn't that correct, Doctor Finnegan?"

The Irishman suddenly looked very guilty. "No, Mr Dex went after me. I'm so sorry, but when the white-haired Wraith was focused on feeding off the General, I took the opportunity to make a run for it. I had no idea the Colonel and Ronon were just seconds away from arriving. If I'd stayed, Ronon wouldn't have had to go after me and rescue me from the Wraith that was pursuing me. The Colonel would have had a back-up. As it was he was left to fight off the nasty mad Wraith alone. He was a good man."

A snorting noise came from Trumble's direction. He didn't say anything, which was fortunate otherwise someone might have decked him. That someone could have been Rodney if his thoughts hadn't been completely focused on Finnegan's words. He turned to the geologist and said. "Well, it's too late for regrets now isn't it? Try telling that to Teyla and the children." Rodney had truly dreaded this day, even though he had hoped it would never happen. John had always beaten the odds. Now it seemed his luck had finally run out. "What are we going to tell them?" he whispered sadly.

Lorne exchanged a look with him before turning back to address the General and Finnegan. "There will be plenty of time for a full investigation and discussion later." He turned to his co-pilot. "Lieutenant, take this jumper and fly the General, Finnegan and Carpenter back to Atlantis." He stopped for a moment having only just realised Private Selkirk was lying under a blanket on the long bench. "What happened to Selkirk?"

Trumble just had to get in another word. "That coward lost it when confronted by the Wraith. I have never witnessed such cowardly behaviour from a marine in my life. Believe me his career is well and truly over. And while we're talking about disobeying orders and cowardly behaviour, that Scottish officer Sheppard had as a co-pilot is to be arrested as soon as you encounter him. Is that understood, Major."

By now, Lorne felt ready to throw his own punch. He reined it in as they were wasting precious time in which they could be helping Ronon. "That's Lieutenant Colonel, sir, and if we had the time I would have asked why Lieutenant Becket disobeyed you. Right now, I'm sure you'd like to return to Atlantis after your ordeal."

"And exactly where will you be, Lieutenant Colonel?"

"I'll be helping Ronon to recover the Colonel's body." A thought suddenly flashed through Evan's mind. _Why are they assuming Sheppard was dead?_ However, he left it unsaid for now. "Captain Forbes, will you please accompany the General and the others back to Atlantis. Report matters directly to Mr Woolsey and…only to him. We don't want nasty rumours getting out before all the facts are known. And General, please use your decorum and keep the Colonel's presumed death to yourself for now. That goes for everyone. We don't want Teyla getting knowledge of it through gossip and hearsay. Right everyone let's get moving. Sergeant Flynn, you're with me. The rest of you make your way over to the other jumper and await orders."

Corporal Lopez suddenly stepped forward. "Sir, I'd like to accompany you as I've been in the caves and can help you find your way to Ronon and the others. The passageways are not that straightforward."

Evan nodded, "That's a good idea. You coming too, McKay?"

"What! You're going to the caves?"

Evan noticed how white Rodney had gone. "Yep, that's where Ronon and the others are. You don't have to come. You can either stay with the others or go back to Atlantis with the General."

"Oh, no, no, no. I'd rather face horrible low lying rock than spend any more time with him."

The General looked livid. "When I'm in charge we'll see about your position as head of the science department, doctor."

Rodney nearly told him to shove it up his backside but decided to keep his cool for now. Help them all if that man should ever become head of military or heavens forbid the expedition leader. As they walked out of the Jumper, Rodney swore he would do everything in his power to prevent that from happening.

The trek over wasn't so easy though. It was hot and extremely humid because of the earlier rainfall evaporating back into the atmosphere. Sweat poured down Rodney's face. As he swiped it away with his hand, he silently questioned his decision to accompany Lorne. He had remained quiet though as depressing thoughts flashed through his mind. He had lost yet another friend, a man he had known for over eight years. He could honestly say that John had been the closest to a best friend Rodney had ever had. They'd been family and Rodney just couldn't imagine life without him.

When they arrived at the cliff face, Rodney turned his thoughts to the seemly impossible task ahead of him. He looked up at the pile of large rocks he'd have to climb in order to get into the cave. "I thought the entry would be on ground level?"

Lopez shook his head. "No, doctor, it's not hard to get to. Believe me, when the rain hit a few hours ago, I was very glad the cave system was higher. Otherwise, it could have been flooded."

"It rained?" Lorne asked.

"Oh, yes, sir. I didn't witness it, but the others said it was very bad for a while. Like a monsoon downpour only worse."

"Yep, rained badly at the Stargate's location too." Sergeant Flynn added.

Lorne looked out over the landscape. "Well, it certainly dried up quickly." He waved his hand upwards, "After you, McKay. Up you go. And be careful where you tread, I don't want you to break a leg or land on me." Uncharacteristically, Rodney didn't answer back with a snarky comment and Evan realised just how truly upset the man was. Hell, he was upset too having served with Sheppard for years now.

oOo

John stumbled for the umpteenth time, hitting a foot on yet another sharp rock. Tears of agony rolled down his face while he stayed perfectly still, breathing through the pain until it reduced enough for him to clearly think again. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd nearly fallen because his feet were now badly torn and bleeding. He quite honestly didn't know how much longer he could keep going. With each painful, slogging step there seemed to be no end to the rocky bank that stretched along the waterway. When in actual fact, he'd probably only covered a mile or so since starting out. It won't have been so bad if he still had his boots, although his side also screamed at him with every jarring jolt. In the darkness, lit only by his small flashlight, it was difficult to judge where to put his feet. The rocks were very often covered with the mossy algae he'd seen earlier. Although most were worn smooth by the action of water, some had extremely sharp edges. Meaning, his pace had been slower than that of a slug.

So far he'd seen nothing to indicate an end to the underground river. Now he was beginning to question his judgement. Maybe he should have tried going back the way he'd been taken by the flow as Ronon would no doubt be searching for him. However, he seemed to recall some low lying rocky passages, which could have made a return trip quite difficult. He also had no idea how far he'd been swept along. There could also be fast flowing currents to fight against. He still didn't know why this part of the river was so much calmer and shallower. A thought struck him, maybe the waterway divided into more channels and somehow he'd been swept into this calmer one. He had no idea whether that was a good thing or not. At least it had deposited him onto a stony, bug covered bank and out of the river. Therefore saving him from drowning.

Ironically, he still had his radio, although probably waterlogged. Not that it was any use to him because radio communication had been impossible since entering the cave system. The rocky walls and other minerals were probably too thick for normal radio waves to pass through. Somehow though, John couldn't bring himself to discard the unit that was still attached to his vest.

It looked like nothing was going to get him out of this situation other than a true miracle and his own two legs. Gathering a tiny bit of willpower, he slogged on despite the despair that was beginning to rear its ugly head. Things were not looking good and if nothing changed soon, he knew he was going to die here. Alone and trapped in a never-ending nightmare of darkness and pain.

Thank God he hadn't encountered the Wraith that was one good thing. Maybe the monster had drowned. John could only hope so.

TBC

AN:- _Thanks for the super reviews. Yes that General is an awful man and he only seems to get worse. John's situation is the stuff out of nightmares and will his endurance see him through?_


	24. Chapter 24

Deadly Intent 24

Mr Woolsey gave a sigh of relief when Chuck informed him that a Jumper was inbound with General Trumble onboard. He watched the Stargate spring to life and the Jumper emerge before automatic sequence engaged, taking it up into the bay. Signalling for a couple of security guards to accompany him, he went up to welcome the missing people back after their ordeal.

The hatch slowly lowered and Richard waited patiently for the team to exit. Corporal Carpenter was the first person to disembark. He looked decidedly bedraggled and somewhat depressed. Richard had already called for a medical team and he quickly instructed the young marine to wait for them.

The visiting Irish geologist was next, looking as bedraggled as the corporal, although not quite so dejected. Surprisingly when Trumble finally came down the ramp, he looked almost cheerful as if pleased with himself. The nasty gleam in his eye did little to quell Woolsey's opinion that the General was more than a little mentally disturbed.

Richard stepped forward and offered his hand. "I'm so glad you made it safely back to Atlantis, General. A medical team will be along in a minute to take you to the infirmary for a thorough examination. Then I'm sure you will want a hot shower, something to eat and then bed."

By now, Woolsey had half expected the other jumper to have returned with the rest of their people. Richard was surprised again when Captain Forbes joined him and not Colonel Lorne. For some reason, the Captain looked terrible. Richard was just about to ask what was going on when Jennifer Keller and her medical team arrived. It was then that he noticed how small the group was that had accompanied the General and others. Richard turned to address the Captain, but he was busy directing Doctor Keller into the jumper where apparently Private Selkirk needed medical help.

The rest of the medical team were in the process of preparing the survivors for their trip to the infirmary. However, General Trumble loudly announced that he could walk and that he didn't need to lie on a hard and noisy gurney.

Richard moved over to him. "I should take the ride while you can, General. You could have unseen injuries."

"The only injury I have is to my pride. Oh, and by the way, in case you're all wondering where the other jumper is? They are still foolishly looking for Sheppard's dead body."

Shocked gasps echoed throughout the bay. Captain Forbes heard the statement and went cold. He'd had enough of the cold-hearted bastard. To hell with the fact the man was a General. He rounded on him. "Colonel Lorne asked you use some decorum and not blurt it out for all to hear before they'd even recovered the Colonel's body."

Jennifer had gone quite still and pale. She quickly left Selkirk's side and joined the rest outside. She felt like punching the ugly, pompous officer on the nose. "I agree with the Captain." She quickly turned to her staff. "Take these people to the infirmary immediately, and not a word about this until Mr Woolsey has the full facts. Then he will make an official announcement to everyone after the Colonel's family have been informed. Is that understood?" Her team nodded and Jennifer was confident they would keep quiet.

Richard Woolsey silently thanked her for taking the reins for a minute. To say he was in shock was an understatement. Even after all this time on Atlantis, he was still a little unsure as to the right decisions to make sometimes. Richard looked to the General who was currently busy reprimanding the Captain for his impertinence. He moved forward and quickly spoke to defend the officer. "I also agree with the Captain. Blurting the news out in front of people who have served alongside Colonel Sheppard for years was callous and totally uncalled for." He turned back to address the people. "Now I want a full report from everyone involved, sooner rather than later. And if news of this reaches Teyla before she's been informed by me, heads will roll."

Everyone nodded in understanding, all except Trumble of course. He had to get a word in. "As soon as I've rested from this ordeal I will be taking over the military and running it the way it should have been."

"And on whose authority will that be?"

"Why mine, of course, or have you forgotten I'm a general attached to Stargate Command." With that, the man stormed off leaving murderous glares in his wake.

"We'll see about that," Richard muttered as he quickly headed for the control room.

oOo

By the time, McKay reached the top of the incline he was sweltering and totally breathless. Bent over double, he stood desperately panting for air as Evan and the others joined him by the cave's entrance. Rodney noted that none of them seemed to be as breathless as he. For a split-second, he vowed to get in more exercise before undertaking regular off-world missions again. He quickly sobered, thinking he might never serve on a team again. And did he really want to anyway? Not with John lost to them. Lorne turned to him, he made no comment other than a brief nod before heading on into the cave. Rodney gulped in a breath of fresh air as if it was going to be his last as he watched as the others move to follow the Colonel. He really hated small enclosed spaces, so this was going to be hell.

For the next five minutes or so they hiked along in a reasonably wide passageway until they eventually arrived in the first cavernous area. Rodney was mildly surprised at the size of it. "Oh, this isn't so bad," he muttered to no one in particular.

"Just wait until the narrow passageways begin. Some of them are a real tight squeeze." Corporal Lopez informed him.

"Oh, thank you. Aren't we the cheerful one," Rodney informed him just before wandering off to look inside what appeared to be a doorway. "Oh, that is so gross!" Lorne and the others moved over to join him.

"We think this is where the Wraith worshippers kept the General and rest of our people until the Wraith arrived." Corporal Lopez informed them.

"Yeah, more than likely," Evan muttered as he moved to look at the desiccated human remains. "And these bodies?" he asked.

"According to the General, the Wraith fed on their human jailers and Doctor Stein before setting them free to give chase through the cave system. That looks like Stein over there."

Evan nodded. Although he hadn't had much to do with the guy, he truly felt sadden by the loss of yet another of their people to the Wraith. "We'll pick up his body later and dispose of the rest. Not that they deserve any special treatment after bringing the Wraith down on our people."

Everyone was in concurrence. They left the cell a moment later to head further down the system towards Ronon and the combat engineers. They were just about to enter a much narrower passageway when something caught Rodney's eye. It looked like a small storage locker built directly into the solid rock wall. Only this one had no combination lock rather just a simple keyhole.

Rodney stopped to look at it. "Umm…wonder what's in here?"

"We haven't any time for that right now, McKay."

"Humour me for a second. Just take out your fancy combat knife and prise it open for me."

Lorne sighed and moved to do it. It only took him a few seconds to get the rusty-hinged door open. In fact, the thing nearly fell apart leaving the contents fully exposed to their curious eyes.

"Umm…the locker is bigger than I thought," McKay commented. "That stuff looks like some of the gear Trumble and the others might have carried." He rummaged through the items for a minute until he accidentally exposed some small pouches. They looked very much like ones Rodney had seen numerous times back in Atlantis. Earth made and used by various departments for collecting samples. Picking one up, Rodney opened it and scrutinised the contents. "I don't know what these stones are, but it looks like Trumble and the others collected them for some reason."

Evan took it off Rodney and looked at it under his flashlight beam. He promptly put the pouch in his vest pocket. "We'll deal with this later. Right now we need to move further on."

Everyone nodded their agreement. They moved off once again and were just about to enter the passageway when someone walked out of it. "Ah, Colonel Lorne and Doctor McKay, it's good to see you both. I didn't know you'd arrived on the planet, but you're just the men we need."

Evan pulled up alongside the newcomer. "Chief Harris, how are things?"

"Believe me, sir, they could be better. If we could all find a perch for a minute, I'll explain it to you."

McKay huffed and puffed until he found a suitable rock to plant his backside on, one that wasn't cover in rubble or too jagged. Although, he was glad to sit down if only for a minute or so.

Lorne and the others gathered around him as Chief Harris joined them. "So what's to report, Chief?" Lorne asked.

Harris looked around the cavern for a second before turning back to address the newly promoted Lt. Colonel. "Okay, Ronon and Lieutenant Montero went down into the chasm several hours ago. So far they've found no sign of the Colonel or the Wraith. As communication is difficult down there, I sent Sergeant Morgan down after them to report back to us. He also knows quite a bit about geology as well as engineering. He used to explore potholes in his spare time, so knows something about cave systems. From what he's seen so far, he reckons the underground river has been carved out over millions of years by consecutive rainfall like the storm some of us witnessed earlier."

"So where's all this leading to?" Rodney impatiently interrupted the Chief's longwinded explanation as if he never did the same.

Chief Harris gave McKay a pained look. He'd never liked the overbearing scientist very much. "If you'd just give me a minute, I'll get to it. The Sergeant thinks the water level was a lot higher when the Colonel fell down, meaning he was probably swept much further along the system by the fast flowing current. The water has since receded quite dramatically. But like I said before, it happens every time there's a massive storm."

Lorne looked somewhat alarmed. "In other words, the people in the lower level could be in danger if it rains again?"

Harris nodded. "Ronon knows that. There does seem to be some areas they could retreat to if the water comes again. Getting back to Morgan's theory. After some observations, he thinks the river flows through the whole width of the mountain ridge. Meaning it must come out again at some point, either to form an overland river or water-filled sinkhole. Which we sincerely hope isn't the case."

"Yes, yes, that's all very well, but why isn't there a river leading to the underground one on this side of the ridge?"

Harris looked at McKay. "You have a point there, Doctor. I think maybe there is during a rainy season. I don't know if you noticed the dried up riverbed near the Jumper. Well, Morgan reckons this area is going through the summer and therefore a much drier period. During the storm we witnessed, the riverbed filled up very quickly. Because of the sandy ground, I guess it doesn't take long to disappear again though."

Lorne nodded, "Yep, it's pretty dry out there again considering how you guys described that storm. Any idea how wide this mountain ridge is?"

"Sorry, sir, we don't. If someone could take the Jumper up and do some calculations and aerial observations it would certainly help. Maybe even look for the exit point on the other side of the ridge."

Lorne nodded and rubbed his forehead. "Damn it, my co-pilot has taken that…so and so back to Atlantis, which means we'll need to go back and do the job ourselves." Everyone knew who Lorne was referring to and no one commented. There again no one would as they all felt the same about the visiting General.

Rodney had been deep in thought since the end of the Chief's explanation. _Could it be that John was still alive somehow?_ It took a nudge from Evan to get his attention again. "You coming, McKay?" Rodney simply nodded. If he could take an active role in finding Sheppard, he wouldn't hesitate for a second. And anything was better than going further into the claustrophobic caves.

Nothing much more was said after that as the teams parted company again. While Colonel Lorne and McKay went back to the Jumper, the others apart from Corporal Lopez went to the distant cavern to assist in the recovery effort. It was decided that the young and very fit corporal would act as a runner to relay any urgent messages between the two teams if it proved necessary. Although Lopez had his radio and could talk to Colonel Lorne and the others in the Jumper, he wouldn't be able to contact the recovery people in the cave, so it could mean he'd have to leg it. For now, he would stay by the cave entry. At least until nightfall, which was about ten hours away?

oOo

By now John was nearly delirious with pain. His feet were one massive hurt and he was sure there was no skin left on them. He continuously stumbled over increasing larger boulders and sometimes he'd been forced to enter the water in order to get around them. Unfortunately, the water wasn't deep enough to swim in. That may have helped his feet but certainly not his exhaustion. Every time he'd been forced into the water, it had been even more painful because he really couldn't see the stones. More often than not he'd come down on really sharp ones.

Nearly falling yet again, John sank down into the stony water's edge. For the first time, he considered giving up. He sat still for a minute or so, just staring at the river, lost in thoughts of despair. He knew it wasn't like him to give up, but this situation was just a never-ending nightmare. Moisture formed in his eyes. John normally didn't cry, but he let tears fall because he knew how hopeless his situation was. The tears weren't for him they were for those he'd leave behind. For the love of his life and the children, he would never see again. For his unborn son who would never know his father. John squeezed his eyes shut and shouted his despair. "Damn it!"

He thought about lying down for a while, so he panned the light across the ground. It seemed there was nowhere dry or flat enough to rest on. Sighing, he switched the flashlight off to conserve the power and lowered his head between his knees. Tears threatened to fall again. He shuddered when dark thoughts entered his head making him wonder how long it would take for him to die. The next shudder was enough to make his teeth clatter. He was getting uncomfortably cold, so maybe it wouldn't take so long to die after all as hyperthermia would no doubt quickly take him. But did he want to die here sitting on the hard ground surrounded by darkness? Although what other choice did he have? He was just too damn tired, in pain and cold to worry about it at the moment.

Eventually, he lifted his head, fully expecting to see the same pitch-black world surrounding him. It came as a surprise to see a hint of light shining on the water. It wasn't much and was still a little distance off. Yet up ahead there must be a gap in the roof or maybe even an exit. The renewed hope gave him the power he finally needed to get up and start moving again.

" _Light at the end. One step at a time. Come on John, one foot in front of the other. Keep moving."_ John's almost incoherent muttering made him sound like a binge drinker after a night on the town.

His muttering abruptly cut short when a hand shot out to grab the front of his vest. Very violently. So much so that he lost his balance and sank down to his knees in cold water at the edge of the river. John tried to struggle free. It was a useless gesture and he was quickly yanked back up again by a long-fingered hand. A hand that sported sickly green skin and nails that needed a darn good cut. An extremely ugly hand, one that reminded John of his first encounter with a Wraith all those years ago on Athos. A memory he would have rather left buried.

John could barely make out the rest of the Wraith's body in the dark and he'd lost his flashlight in the struggle. Without a word, the creature moved them into the river and began to drag his victim by his vest to God knows where. Not being too careful either as John's knees and feet took the brunt of the passage, constantly hitting rocks hidden under the water. The Wraith didn't seem to have any problem walking along the stony river bed, which probably meant he still had his footwear.

Whatever lay ahead, John knew he was totally screwed now. Unless a miracle should occur, it really did look like his luck had finally run out.

TBC


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's note:** _Thanks for the continuing interest. A guest reviewer pointed out that they didn't think the last couple of chapters have been quite in character for John. Whereas I agree to some extent, I personally think everyone even Sheppard have their breaking point. He's in a dark place, totally alone, extremely cold and in a great deal of pain. (I'm sure some of you can relate to trying to walk over a stony beach barefooted and how painful that is). I think even the strongest person could break a little in that situation. I know in the show he always seemed almost invincible, but I found that a little false at times. If I remember correctly, the only time he seemed totally oblivious to pain was in 'Conversion' but he was already under the influence of the retrovirus. We certainly saw him feel pain when Todd fed on him, when the building fell on him and when that tendril thing stabbed him in The Seed. He even admitted to feeling depressed in Epiphany. For me in those episodes he seemed more human. In my story John's tears are ones of despair and regret, not for himself but for the loved ones who would go through the pain of losing him. Also please stay tuned because there is an outside influence that's making him feel a little more emotionally confused than normal. The road ahead is a rocky one for poor John, so I hope you all keep reading. Thanks for the lovely reviews to date, including yours Guest. I didn't take it badly as everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It was constructive criticism and not at all hurtful. Hope you also keep reading. So on to the next chapter._

Deadly Intent 25

Ronon's determination drove him onward despite the lack of progress at finding his friend. He and Lieutenant Montero had been following the river now for what seemed like hours. The going had been rough and darn right difficult at times, even though the water was significantly lower than it had been. It was most definitely lower than when Sheppard and the Wraith had fallen in. Evidence was everywhere that this was a runoff and that the passage experienced some terrific water surges from time to time. The proof was written on the walls with their extremely smooth and hollowed out surfaces caused by gushing, fast flowing water. As a precaution against any unexpected sudden rise in the water level, Montero had always made note of their surroundings in case they needed to quickly get to higher ground.

So far there had been no sign of the Wraith or Colonel Sheppard, and now they were faced with a very rough looking and fairly narrow passageway up ahead. Although there was still room for the water to have surged through the gap, it had obviously caused a bit of a bottleneck at times as stones and debris lay piled up higher than normal. It could be that one day the gap would dam up completely and the whole area become flooded. Ronon wasn't interested in that he just wanted to move further on. Aiming his light over the stones, he looked for a suitable passage through the gap. His keen eyesight suddenly caught sight of an object jammed between two sizable rocks. He quickly moved to grab it.

The Lieutenant joined him a minute later and added his light to the item in Ronon's hand. It was a military issue leather boot. "That looks like the Colonel's left boot," he murmured.

Ronon simply nodded. Dropping the footwear back onto the ground, the big Satedan moved to climb over the pile of stones to get beyond the slight blockage. Josepha watched him work his way through the gap, which although narrow still left plenty of headroom. The Lieutenant sighed and began to follow. Finding the boot didn't mean the Colonel had gone beyond this point. In fact, it was a wonder that they hadn't found his broken body amongst the rocks as well as the item of footwear. No matter, Josepha knew that Ronon wouldn't rest until he'd found his teammate. Hopefully still alive.

oOo

The Wraith didn't stop once. Dragging John through the water without a care, causing him yet more pain and shock to his already exhausted and battered body. His feet and knees were one mass of agony and John had a feeling he was losing precious blood from his side once again. He felt slightly light headed and confused so he guessed his blood pressure was getting dangerously low. He knew his chances of survival were looking pretty grim. In the back of his mind, John vaguely wondered why the Wraith was using up so much energy to drag him somewhere and why he hadn't fed on him yet.

After a few more steps, the Wraith began to slow down. John had kept his eyes half closed for most of the time. It had been dark anyway, so now he attempted to lift his head to see why the pace had slowed. He immediately snapped his eyes shut again as an intense glare suddenly assaulted them. After the near total darkness, the burning intensity proved to be a total shock. He wondered if the Wraith had the same problem. Evidently not so much as the Wraith continued to slowly drag him until they fully emerged into what John thought was bright, outdoor sunlight.

The Wraith stopped and hauled him up, allowing him to stand on his shredded feet for the first time. John gasped at intense pain that shot up his legs. Closing his eyes tightly, he breathed heavily through the worst of it. After the pain eased somewhat and his breathing slowed, the real shock came when his eyes adjusted enough for him to see something of his surroundings. He squinted as he slowly surveyed the area. What he'd thought was intense sunshine wasn't exactly true. Whereas some of the brightness was caused by overhead sunlight filtering down onto a truly massive valley floor, the rest came from the cave walls that surrounded the mouth of the river they were just about to emerge from. It was like being inside a huge lump of quartz or amethyst as the surroundings glowed in brilliant shades of purple or white. So intense it could rival a million stars in the night sky.

John had to turn away from the glare. He tried to focus on the valley beyond, but he was finding it increasingly hard to concentrate. The river appeared to be flowing lazily into a giant purple lake that stretched as far as the eye could see. John actually wondered if it was a mirage of some kind as it was fuzzy around the edges. It appeared to be surrounded by lush plant life. At least that's what he thought the waving lilac coloured objects were. He could also make out strange screeching sounds, so there could be animal life nearby.

The Wraith seemed impressed as he stood stock still taking in the view. John was still feeling very confused, and he was growing lethargic as if the light itself was sucking the life out of him. Yet he still retained enough of his senses to carefully back off while the Wraith was preoccupied. Not that he could make a run for it on his broken feet. And where would he run to? The nearest plant cover appeared to be some way off. The Wraith must have been paying more attention than John thought. He obviously had no intention of letting his victim escape. In the scramble that followed, John lost his footing and fell hard onto one of the crystal outcrops that littered the cave's floor. He cried out as his arm scrapped painfully over the sharp glass-like crystals, but didn't have time to inspect the injury before the Wraith roughly grabbed him again.

"I will feed upon you soon human." The Wraith Commander sneered.

"Yeah right! That's what you keep saying. It's getting old."

The Wraith snarled and began dragging him again, John guessed to leave the cave behind them. John had no doubt that the Wraith would eventually feed, he just wondered why the need to move away from the cave's exit. Maybe the brightness was too much for the Wraith's bug-like vision after all. That wouldn't help John much though. Although, he had already become resigned to his fate, he would still do his utmost to avoid it if he could. Yet the more he tried to concentrate on escape, the more lethargic he felt.

oOo

"Okay everyone let's get this bird in the air," Lorne informed the remaining people on board the Jumper. "You ready with those instruments, McKay? It won't take long to get over the ridge and into the next valley, plain or whatever's over there."

Rodney fiddled a little with his tablet. "Yes, yes, ready to take the measurements." As Evan lifted the Jumper into the air, Rodney couldn't help wondering if it was a false hope. Although they hadn't found John's body yet, part of him felt the task was hopeless.

oOo

"Where the hell is that bright light coming from?" Josepha commented as they waded on through water that was no longer very deep at all.

"An exit," Ronon simply replied.

The Lieutenant blinked. "Seems a bit bright for a cave exit and believe me I've seen my fair share of them. Makes me wonder what's on the other side." _Hopefully not the gates of hell._

The only sound Ronon made was a grunting noise as he continued moving forward at a much faster pace.

oOo

The Wraith eventually stopped dragging John as he seemed satisfied that they were now far enough away from the crystal cave not to be blinded by it. John raised his head just a little to see where they were. He noted that he'd been dragged over to the edge of the river just where it began to flow into the large lake. The Wraith suddenly released him to stand on shaky legs. It took all his effort not to collapse onto the ground as his feet protested loudly at having to take his full weight.

Determined to face death with courage, John slowly raised his stiff and aching head to face his antagonist. Inside he was trembling as he was well acquainted with the pain of a feeding. To switch his mind away from those dreadful memories, he tried to focus beyond the Wraith and towards the water. The area seemed quiet and strangely beautiful. Here the river looked much deeper as it steadily flowed to merge with the lake. The water appeared to be pretty clear at this point. It glistened with silver threads in the bright sunlight and for some reason, John's mind began to drift back to a few warm and sunny days he'd spent surfing in Australia. He'd had some R & R, following a particularly long and gruelling special ops mission in Iraq. So he had left the snows of Washington well behind him and had jetted out to the summer sun of Byron Bay. An image of blood suddenly filled his mind as another memory surfaced. One unfortunate surfer had been attacked by a shark during his stay. The guy had lost his leg and nearly lost his life. John had no idea why that particular memory should suddenly come to mind right now.

Rubbing his forehead, he attempted to focus back on the Wraith and his current predicament. It was becoming more and more difficult. John knew he really should do something to prevent his imminent demise but for the life of him, he just couldn't concentrate on the Wraith anymore. His mind kept drifting from good to bad memories, almost as if he had no control over his own thoughts. And he was beginning to feel extremely lethargic indeed. Almost lifeless, so he thought he was probably dying.

The Wraith was getting annoyed as he expected to see fear on his victim's face and certainly not the faraway look the human was currently displaying. He wanted to hear his food beg for its life as most of his victims did, yet this sickly creature continued to ignore him. Almost as if his menacing presence no longer stood before him. No matter, he intended to wait no longer as he needed the energy to find his way out of this place.

Stepping closer, he pushed John onto his knees. That got a reaction as the human cried out in real pain. He moved to slam his feeding hand against his victim's chest and noted that the human now looked at him with terrified fear.

Good, now he could begin to feed.

When he'd been pushed to the ground, John's whole body had screamed out in agony, just for a second. Then the pain began to fade. In fact, he couldn't feel much of anything anymore and he couldn't move even if he tried to. Yet his mind was functioning, at least he thought so. He tried focusing his eyes on the scene in front of him. Annoyingly, his vision kept fading in and out. Somehow he did register that the Wraith was about to feed on him, so it would be all over soon. At least now that his body had decided to shut down, he shouldn't feel too much pain.

Suddenly, John's focus became much clearer. Something horrible was looming above the Wraith. Two enormous glowing eyes rose like twin suns followed by a set of serrated teeth. Then to John's horror, the Wraith no longer had a head. He watched in slow motion as the headless body tilted sideways, leaving John to face a creature from hell.

TBC

 _Sorry about the horrible cliffy, I'll get the next chapter or so posted as quickly as possible before Christmas_.


	26. Chapter 26

Deadly Intent 26

Ronon and Lieutenant Montero watched in horror at the scene playing out before them. They were still a good way off. With a sinking feeling, they knew they stood no chance of reaching Sheppard before the massive creature struck again.

High above them, Colonel Lorne plunged the Jumper in a hair-raising drive after McKay had identified Sheppard's signal on the HUD. They were also at least a few minutes out from reaching John. Unlike Ronon and the Lieutenant, they were totally unaware of the events playing out below them, simply because the Jumper had limited ground viewing capabilities from its windshield. At least until they were at the right angle and a much lower altitude.

John stared in mesmerised horror as the creature loomed ever closer. The thing had obviously risen out of the water like some crazy version of the Loch Ness monster. Only this mammoth had teeth to rival that of the monster from the Alien movies. Its ugly elongated head was covered in huge spiny scales. It appeared to have at least four legs and probably a tail that could cut a man in half, although John couldn't see it fully. Now only a few feet away, it seemed to be sniffing the air with its huge, flared nostrils maybe testing for something. Its long neck whipped from side to side as if it couldn't decide in which direction to turn next.

Its unnaturally glowing eyes appeared to stare right through John as if it couldn't really see him. Even if John had wanted to, he simply couldn't move a muscle to escape the threat. That probably wouldn't have been a good idea anyway as it would most likely immediately alert the monster to his presence. Annoyingly, John found that he just couldn't concentrate on the threat for more than a few seconds at a time. His thoughts kept trying to drift away from the imminent danger as if he no longer recognised or even comprehended the true nature of his predicament. The more John tried to force it, the more intense his problem became. When a sharp pain suddenly spiked through his temple, John instinctively knew the only way to stop the horrible pain was to give in to whatever was causing his lack of focus. Sensing defeat, he simply let his thoughts drift back to the beautiful beach he remembered so well in Australia. He imagined surfing the great waves even though the threat of sharks loomed under him.

Now totally lost in his inner mind, John didn't witness the creature move away from him to grab the headless carcass of the Wraith. After a quick flip, it slivered its heavy body back into the water, taking the Wraith with it.

Ronon had never run so fast in his life, even when chased by a pursuing Wraith during his time as a runner. As the Satedan sped towards John, he witnessed the creature's unbelievable action. Ronon felt a small tinge of disappointment, as he would have loved nothing better than to have shot at the thing to death. Of course, the creature's retreat had been a very good thing indeed for Sheppard. However, the Colonel was certainly not out of danger yet.

Ronon came to a pounding stop just a few feet away from Sheppard. Despite the creature's return to the water, he was determined to move the man well away from the river's edge just in case the creature should return or there were others looking for an easy meal. He carefully approached Sheppard and grabbed his shoulder. The man looked terrible, almost dead on his feet. "Come on, buddy, let's get you away from here."

John stood motionless. He didn't turn to look at Ronon or react to his voice at all. It puzzled the Satedan.

By this time, Lieutenant Montero had joined them. He quickly trained his P90 on the water beyond and looked over to Ronon and the Colonel. Seeing something was definitely amiss with his C.O., he asked. "What's wrong with him?"

"Dunno," Ronon muttered. He tried to get John to move again, but he remained unresponsive, seemingly locked in his own world. In the end, Ronon simply scooped him up and began carrying him well away from the water's edge. Lifting him had shown Ronon the full extent of Sheppard's injuries. His feet were a mess and from what Ronon could see through the bloodied shreds of Sheppard's BDU's, his knees were a mess too. Then there was a worrying wet sticky patch down his side. Ronon could see blood colouring his own tunic where he held him close. The wounds looked pretty bad, so it was no wonder the man hadn't moved. However, that didn't totally explain his unresponsive reaction. Something was definitely off.

The Lieutenant quickly followed behind, while keeping a darn good eye on the water as he did so. Then just as he thought things were safe, a creature rose from the lake again. It could be the same one or some other. Taking no chances, the Lieutenant sprayed the thing with a hail of bullets. The monster dropped back into the water with a splash. They weren't in the clear yet though. Near where the other had disappeared, another much bigger creature rose up from the lake like something out of a horror movie. Montero gulped and began spraying that one with bullets. He was grateful when Ronon's gun took some shots, too. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to slow the thing down at all. It had already moved onto the land and was heading their way quite rapidly, despite its bulk.

Ronon stopped shooting. It had been difficult anyway while carrying his burden. He was sorry that he couldn't help the Lieutenant anymore, but he needed to get Sheppard to safety. He just hoped the young man could continue to outrun the creature. Looking at the landscape ahead, Ronon decided his best bet was to make for the cave. Although there was no telling where the creature could venture once out of the water, at least the cave's entry appeared fairly small. The sporadic rattle of a P90 meant the lieutenant was still behind him. Ronon couldn't spare a glance back as he still had a good distance to go. To slow down would be a death sentence for sure.

Rodney looked out of the viewscreen and almost screamed with terror at the thing that was pursuing of the Lieutenant and Ronon, who appeared to have a limp looking Sheppard in his arms. They weren't that far away from them now. Yet they knew there was no way they could survive the monster's jaws even in the Jumper. Meaning, to land was currently out of the question. Maybe if they could somehow distract the thing away from those on the ground. Rodney quickly suggested it to Lorne, but the Colonel seemed to be having a few problems with his concentration.

Lorne shook his head. He attempted to focus on what McKay was saying and not the brilliance of the crystal archway up ahead. It was almost mesmerising to look at. "How close is that thing to them right now? Is it safe to fire a drone?" he managed to ask.

Rodney looked out of the viewscreen again but gave up as it was difficult to tell from their approach angle. He quickly switched to the HUD and tried to judge the distance. For some reason, he found the task more difficult than normal. His mind suddenly drifted back to the time during their first year when a lone Wraith survivor had threatened their lives. Sheppard had ordered Lieutenant Ford to fire a drone at the Wraith even though the range had been very close. That had done the trick then, so maybe Lorne could do the same without killing their people on the ground.

While Rodney contemplated and calculated, Lorne flew the Jumper in a circle around the creature in an attempt to draw it away from its intended victims. He couldn't get too close as that posed a danger to the Jumper if the creature decided to take a swipe at them with its colossal head or tail. During the manoeuvre, the Colonel had forced himself to concentrate. Otherwise, his mind would have drifted off to other far less important things. "Anytime soon would be nice, McKay."

"Yes, yes, I believe it's…yes, it's okay to fire on your next pass. And…um…try to be as accurate as you can."

Lorne threw the scientist a sideways glance and spat. "As if I wouldn't."

McKay ignored his comment to shout. "Now!"

Lorne reacted immediately. Imagining the creature below, he let loose two drones. The resulting explosion was ground shaking knocking both Montero and Ronon off their feet. Bits of dead creature rained down on them like some nightmarish rain. Thankfully none were big enough to cause them any real injuries. Nevertheless, Ronon shielded Sheppard's body until the deluge had stopped.

A few minutes later, the Jumper landed not far from their position and the two men gratefully rushed to get onboard. As soon as they were safe, Lorne took off quickly to leave the gruesome scene well behind them. If he'd had time to look out, Evan would have seen at least five creatures moving out of the lake now. No doubt to devour the dead carcass bits.

Rodney hadn't bothered to observe things either. Instead, he had ventured into the rear compartment to check on Sheppard. He slowly approached Ronon who still had their leader in his arms. "He looks in a bad way. Is he unconscious?"

"No, not really. His physical injuries can heal, but…" Ronon said no more.

Rodney stared at the Satedan, annoyed at his lack of a decent explanation. For once, he wished the big guy was a little more talkative. "What do you mean by that?"

"He's awake, but not all there."

"In what way?"

Ronon sighed. McKay could be so persistent at times. Well, most of the time. "How do I know?"

Of course, most of Rodney's reaction was caused by Ronon's difficulty with explanations. In the end, the scientist decided to give up asking. He knelt before Sheppard to try and talk directly to him. Despite nearly ending up shouting, Rodney got the same results as Ronon did. "Oh you're right. He's definitely not with us."

"Told you so."

"Yes, yes, so you did. I just hope Jennifer and Carson can fix him."

Rodney returned to the front to explain things to Lorne. After hearing about his C.O.'s problem, Lorne answered. "Okay, I'd better contact our guys on the ground and tell them what's happening. Then get the Colonel home as quickly as possible."

Rodney looked worried. "Yes, I think the quicker the better."

Lorne nodded. After contacting and reassuring Corporal Lopez that he would return for them as soon as he got Sheppard home, Lorne contacted Atlantis and declared a medical emergency. A few minutes later, he finally took his C.O. through the Stargate.

oOo

It was now late into the night on Atlantis. After a rather desperate appeal to the SGC, Richard Woolsey had gratefully retired for the night just under an hour ago. In his report, Richard had explained that Colonel Sheppard had, in all likelihood, been killed and that General Trumble was determined to take over the military. General Landry had not been at all pleased to hear that news and had immediately instructed Woolsey to put Colonel Lorne in charge until further notice. After that Richard had gone to see Teyla knowing the children would most likely be in bed. Thankfully they were and Richard had been able to tell her everything they knew so far. To witness the pain on the beautiful woman's face had caused Richard a great deal of heartache. She had wept quietly as he had held her. Richard had then called one of Teyla's closest female friends to come over to stay with her during the long night. The rest would have to wait until morning. However, even after a stiff drink of Scotch, sleep had eluded him. His mind just wouldn't let it go. Telling Teyla had been one of the most difficult things he'd ever had to do.

Tossing and turning, Richard kept reliving yesterday's events over and over again in his mind. Suddenly his comm. came to life and Richard's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. "Sorry to disturb you, Mr Woolsey, but Colonel Lorne has just radioed in. He's on his way back with a medical emergency."

Richard sighed. Did it never end? "Has there been an accident?"

The night duty staffer seemed very concerned when he replied. "Apparently, the Colonel has had an accident and needs medical attention immediately."

Richard swallowed hard wondering if he was hearing right. The controller wouldn't have known about Sheppard's death and Lorne had radioed in so it couldn't be him. Could that possibly mean that John Sheppard was still alive?

"I'll be right there," he quickly told the controller. Getting out of bed, he grabbed his slippers and hastily threw on his robe before heading for the Jumper Bay.

TBC

AN:- _Hopefully I will have time to post another chapter or two before the Christmas entertaining begins. At least John's on the way back to his loved ones and the much needed medical attention._


	27. Chapter 27

Deadly Intent 27

Richard Woolsey stole a glance at his watch noting it was now 4.00 hours. He returned his gaze to the pensive faces around the small infirmary waiting area and allowed his thoughts to drift back to one and a half hours ago. Once in the Jumper bay, Sheppard had been hastily off-loaded and whisked away to the infirmary by Jennifer Keller and her team. Richard had caught a fleeting look at the Colonel. The man had looked half dead. Smeared with blood, soaking wet, dirty, extremely pale, but worst of all had been his vacant dull looking eyes. Eyes that had stared right through him.

Ronon had gone to collect Teyla immediately afterwards. The petite Athosian now sat silently waiting on one of the uncomfortable chairs. Waiting for any news concerning the man she loved with all her heart. A sense of déjà vu washed over her. What was it about John and falling down cliffs? The scene around her was so reminiscent of events several months ago when they had also waited for news after a cliff mishap. That time Teyla had passed out shortly after arriving in the waiting area. When she had woken later, the news had been very promising. Teyla prayed that the outcome would be similar this time around, although she had no desire to see John hobbling for weeks while a broken leg healed again.

So far she had been told that John was still alive. He was breathing on his own, so there was hope that his injuries weren't too life-threatening. She glanced at Rodney who currently had his baby son asleep on his lap as Jennifer hadn't found anyone to watch over the child at such an early hour. She exchanged a small smile with him, but Rodney seemed unusually quiet and pensive as if he knew something she did not. Ronon also seemed apprehensive. Yet neither would say anything other than about John's miraculous survival, his obvious injuries and their escape from a monster that hadn't been a Wraith.

Colonel Lorne was currently off-world again as he had gone back to pick up the remaining rescue team, including Carson. Lorne was due back any moment now. Woolsey had requested to see the newly promoted Colonel once he got back and before Evan could retire for a well earned rest. All the others knew it was somehow connected to the visiting General who was at the present time thankfully resting in his guest quarters after his ordeal.

The sudden whoosh of the door heralded Doctor Keller's entry. Everyone looked up expectantly. However, all she did was beckon for Teyla. John's partner quickly stood and followed the doctor through the main part of the infirmary. Jennifer eventually led her into a side room and Teyla was disappointed not to see John there.

"Sit down a minute, Teyla." Jennifer pulled up a chair for her. "There's something we have to discuss and wanted you to be the first to know the full extent of what's going on with John. At least what we've been able to deal with so far. Ronon and Rodney already know some of the details." Before Teyla could react, Jennifer continued. "John's injuries will heal with time. Along with a case of hypothermia, he also lost a fair amount of blood, which we are currently replacing. His feet are a total mess, so he won't be on them for a while. He has lacerations on both knees and a few on his lower legs. Thankfully there are no broken bones this time around. His right side is badly bruised and there's a sizable laceration just under his rib cage, which has done a small amount liver damage. We're hoping it will right itself without the need to operate. He also has a nasty cut and extensive crazing on his right arm. Almost as if he fell on something very sharp indeed."

Jennifer paused. Somehow, Teyla knew there was more to come. Her baby kicked as if he also wanted to know about his daddy. "Jennifer?" Teyla prompted when the doctor didn't say anything. Jennifer rubbed her forehead and Teyla thought she saw moisture in her eyes. "Please tell me, what has you so concerned?"

Jennifer nodded. "We believe John may have suffered some form of brain damage. He's not responding to any stimulus. We're getting absolutely no reaction to anything we've tried. He doesn't even respond to pain. When the day shift starts we will run a battery of tests to determine what exactly is going on. To try and find out why his mind has switched off to the world around him." Jennifer took Teyla's hand. "I'm so sorry, but we will do all we can to find out what's wrong and get him back."

Teyla swallowed hard. "I do not understand. Why should this happen? A Wraith cannot steal a mind. Was he feed upon?"

"No. There is no sign of a feeding. There's also no sign of a bite or anything like that which could explain this possible reaction. We've taken blood samples and will do extensive toxicology tests to see if there's anything at all causing it."

Teyla nodded. "And Rodney and Ronon knew about this."

"They were the ones to find and rescue him. So obviously they must have noticed John's lack of response to them."

Teyla pondered their actions. "Maybe they thought it was just a temporary problem and he would have come out of it by now. Can I see him?"

Jennifer nodded and held out her hand, helping Teyla to stand. She quietly led Teyla to the isolation room where John lay so very still. His eyes appeared to stare ahead at nothing. He still blinked from time to time, although not nearly as much as normal. Teyla moved up to him and gently squeezed his hand. "Oh, John what has happened to you now?" She didn't say more because it was obvious he wasn't aware of her. Teyla simply kissed his forehead before crying for the second time that night.

Jennifer moved to wrap her arms around her shoulders. "We will get him back, Teyla. As long as there is no real damage to his brain there is always hope."

oOo

Lorne was bone weary. He wanted nothing more than to hit the shower and fall into bed. After their medical check-ups, the remaining team had all gone off to their various quarters for some well-earned rest. They knew the Colonel had been rescued alive, but none of them knew the exact extent of his injuries, including the problem with his mind. All except Carson and James Becket. Lorne had told them in private after the others had departed. Carson's reaction was to immediately go and see John for himself, which didn't surprise Lorne a bit. As for Lieutenant Becket, Lorne knew he should have had him arrested and put in the brig as per Trumble's orders. Instead, Evan had told him to go to his quarters and stay there until further notice.

Lorne moved into Woolsey's office and the leader beckoned him to sit. Evan gratefully lowered himself into the plush chair. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I won't keep you long as I can see how tired you are."

"A little I must admit. How's the Colonel? Still the same?"

Richard sighed. "I'm afraid so. For everyone's sake, I do hope it's just a temporary condition and he comes out of it soon." Evan nodded his agreement. "Some hours ago, I apprised the SGC of the situation with regards to General Trumble. I've since updated them concerning Colonel Sheppard's rescue. They instructed me to make sure Trumble does not take command of the military and that you are to be in charge until further notice. Of course, I'm sure once Colonel Sheppard is back on his feet, things get back to normal. Then we can be finally free of that overbearing man once and for all. Of course, a lot depends on what the doctors determine is wrong with the Colonel. I will get in touch with the SGC again once we know something for sure."

Evan nodded. He felt a little apprehensive though. He was pretty sure General Trumble would make trouble and attempt to take command using his rank. He cleared his throat. "You do realise the General may not take this lying down. What if we told him Sheppard is alive, but none of the details surrounding his…current situation?"

"I'm not sure that would make any difference, Colonel. He's been threatening to take over the military ever since he arrived. Okay, we'll tell him and see how he reacts. When he tries anything, I will step in and use my authority to put a stop to it." Woolsey looked at his watch again. By now it was 5.10, so there were still a few hours to go until the working day began. "Go and get some rest, Colonel. Well as much as you can in the few hours left. If the pesky man shows up early or I get reports of his interference, then I'll have no choice but to call on you in."

"I'll be ready." As he bid Mr Woolsey goodbye, Evan knew the next working day was not going to be an easy one.

oOo

Trumble rose from the very uncomfortable bed, at least in his opinion. Muttering to himself, he headed for the bathroom. Today he was going to finally bring some order to the military on this base and a few heads will be rolling before the sun went down.

As he showered, his thoughts came out as spoken words. If anyone had heard him, they would have said he'd completely lost it. "First to suffer will be that disobedient Captain Forbes." He told to the shower wall. "A serious reprimand is in order and a black mark." Trumble knew that was basically a death mark on the man's career. The thought pleased him, although it had never worked with Sheppard. "But he's dead. Dead, dead and all by my hand!" he muttered as he squeezed his hand tightly around the soap bar causing it to shoot off and hit an outer wall. It landed half across the bathroom causing Trumble's temper to rise. As he went to retrieve it, his sick mind drifted to Lieutenant Becket's disobedience and defiance. "As for that Scottish moron, he'll be spending rest of his time in the brig before being shipped back to Earth for a court-martial!" Getting back under the water, Trumble's thoughts then turned to others. "I'll demote that dreadful Lorne right back to major or maybe even captain at the earliest opportunity. And several others will be finding themselves booted back to Earth where they belong. Especially that Woolsey! We can't have that weasel running the show any longer. No, it's time this city got a proper leadership." As he scrubbed his back, he suddenly switched his thoughts to Sheppard's woman. "As for the Athosian whore, she can take her brats and head right back to the planet she came from! And that whiny good for nothing Canadian scientist he can go too. Come to think of it they can all go! I'll start from scratch with a good standing, all American crew and science team. No more foreigners running the show."

Atlantis, who was silently mourning the disappearance of her favourite one, sensed Trumble's thoughts loud and clear. And even though her directive was to do no harm to the people within her walls, the city disliked this human so intensely that she lashed out as best she could without actually causing him any real harm. Hopefully, the good people within her walls would be able to deal with this monster of a man.

The water suddenly got so hot that the General had to hastily retreat. He counted to ten and marched from the bathroom leaving the precious hot water running. He got dressed carefully so as not to put too much pressure on his scalded skin. It did nothing to calm his rage, which escalated until his face was a red as the skin on his back. Marching for the door, he declared, "Yes, many other heads will be rolling this day and that includes the head of engineering. That awful foreigner Zadak or whatever his name is."

No longer in the mood for breakfast, he angrily made his way to the top tower level to take charge of the dreadful city. A few minutes later, Trumble marched into the control room like a bull entering an arena. Heads lifted and cringed at the sight. It was still fairly early. Colonel Lorne had yet to put in an appearance.

Unfortunately, someone had to address the General and that someone was Chuck Campbell. He stood and faced the man he had come to despise with all his heart and asked. "Is there something I can do for you, sir?"

"To begin with you will find me a decent office space. And I don't want that crummy hole Sheppard used to use! Do I make myself clear?"

Chuck scowled. He had been informed about the Colonel's physical injuries and the possibility that Trumble would try to take command. "Could you please go into Mr Woolsey's office and wait for him to come. He and Colonel Lorne should be arriving anytime soon, sir."

"And why should I do that? Let me make myself clear, from now on I'm in charge around here and things are going to change."

A cough sounded directly behind the overbearing officer. "I suggest you do as technician Campbell suggested, General."

Trumble slowly turned to face the speaker and came face to face with General Jack O'Neill.

TBC

Author's note:- _In case I don't get around to posting again before Sunday, I hope everyone who celebrates has a very Happy Christmas. And thanks again for reading, following and reviewing._


	28. Chapter 28

Deadly Intent

Chapter 28

"How the hell did you get here? And this matter is none of your business, O'Neill."

Jack scratched his head. "Ah, but it is my business when it concerns the well-being of my favourite city and its kindly folks. As to how I got here. Well if you'd bothered to look over the balcony, you would have seen that the Stargate is active. Believe it or not, we sure have come a long way in hologram technology in recent years. Kind of reminds me of Star Trek. You know the holodeck from The Next Generation or that holographic doctor from Voyager that looked an awful lot like Richard Woolsey. As for me, I'm currently standing alongside General Landry in the SGC while my holographic image is projected through to Atlantis. Cool ain't it?"

O'Neill's hologram flicked for a second but apart from that it was pretty realistic. "Anyway I was just having a friendly visit to see some old pals when Hank told me all about your delusions of grandeur and your desire to take over the military out there. Now we can't have that while poor Sheppard is lying in his hospital bed, no more than a few floors below your feet."

Trumble spluttered. "What are you talking about you old fool. Sheppard is dead!"

"I take great offence at you calling me an old fool, Trumble. I'm neither old nor a fool. I would say that title should go to you after your recent behaviour."

By now Trumble's face was a deep red colour, almost purple. "How dare you speak to me like that, O'Neill! I'm a General and I have the blessing of the I.O.A.!"

"Excuse me? If I remember correctly you made Brigadier General only a couple of years ago. As I'm a Major General, I think I still outrank you. As to the I.O.A., they have assured us that they didn't give their blessing for you to interfere in the military affairs of Atlantis base. You were only supposed to go as an observer while Doctor Ross made sure Colonel Sheppard would be fit for duty after his busted leg incident. And speaking of Sheppard, don't you think your reaction was a little premature concerning yesterday's…incident?"

By this time Trumble was having difficulties breathing. He gulped in a lung full of air and spluttered. "I saw him go over into a deep and inhospitable chasm. What was I to presume? I still don't believe you anyway. This could all be a ruse to stop me from taking command."

Jack's hologram looked amazed before he turned to listen to someone near him. Eventually, he turned back to face the repulsive officer again. "Think what you like Trumble. Now don't you make me come out there and sort you out 'cause that would make me really, really angry seeing as I've got a lovely dinner date lined-up with my favourite Colonel who currently on base and not commanding her ship."

Trumble looked like he was about to say something but kept his mouth shut for once. Jack looked beyond him and was relieved to see both Colonel Lorne and Mr Woolsey now standing directly behind the man. So instead of addressing Trumble, he spoke directly to them. "If Trumble tries to take command of the military, then you have General Landry's and my permission to arrest him and throw him in the brig until the Daedalus arrives. After that, he'll be returning to Earth to face the consequences."

Mr Woolsey stepped forward. "Thank you, General. We will keep that in mind."

"Well, I'd better go as Doctor Lee is looking a bit concerned about the amount of energy this connection is costing us on our recently found ZeePM. Give Sheppard my regards and hope he makes a speedy recovery." With that, the hologram winked out and the Stargate shut down.

Trumble's mind was a whirl at the sudden change of events. "Sheppard's really alive? If so I wish to see him for myself as I still don't believe you."

Colonel Lorne stepped forward. "Believe what you like, sir. We rescued him during the night."

"Yes, Colonel Lorne and the others did a fine job. The Lieutenant Colonel will be in charge of the military until Colonel Sheppard is back on his feet." Woolsey added. "Now if you'd kindly go back to your guest quarters or the mess hall…"

"No, I will not. You will take me to the infirmary immediately. I want proof that Sheppard is indeed alive," Trumble demanded. _Then we'll see how long he continues to live_. He may have lost his plan to command Atlantis, but he still needed to remove Sheppard. The man just might be aware that he'd been pushed into the abyss. Of course, he could always frame Carpenter, if necessary.

Woolsey exchanged a quick look with Lorne before saying. "I'm sorry, but the Colonel is only allowed to see close family members and friends at the moment. He went through quite an ordeal and is still recovering."

"Ha! Just as I thought." Trumble huffed as he stormed out of the control room. He would find that useless female doctor he'd come with and get her to supply him with the truth about Sheppard. If the man was still alive, then he would have to see about getting into the infirmary and finishing the job.

Lorne sighed. "Well, that went better than expected. Thank goodness General O'Neill was willing to step in, even though it was just his hologram."

"Remarkable wasn't it. I honestly didn't know they had the power."

Chuck overheard Mr Woolsey's comment and added. "When they dialled in they told me it needed to be quick. As luck would have it, the General was already on his way so I didn't have to call him. Apparently, they found a ZedPM that had been buried in Antarctica near the old base. The item became exposed, what with all the melting ice in recent years. Unfortunately, it turned out to be nearly depleted, but it gave them enough juice to dial out to us and a bit more, I think."

"Thank you for the information, Chuck." Woolsey looked thoughtful as he turned to Lorne. "Let's go to my office for a minute," Once there the two men gratefully sat down before Woolsey continued. "We need to keep that man away from the infirmary. He must not know about the Colonel's current condition."

Lorne nodded in agreement. "I'll inform the staff and have some guards posted at the entries. Can't we simply push him through the Stargate and back to Earth already?"

"I'd love to, but McKay is concerned about a number of dial outs we've made to Earth in recent days. He said our ZeePM will be critically depleted unless we cut back. So I guess we'd best wait for the Daedalus to return in a few weeks time."

"Oh joy," Lorne muttered. Then something else came to mind. "What are we going to do about Lieutenant Becket? Trumble wants me to throw the book at him for refusing to fly him back to Atlantis."

Woolsey knew there would be more problems. "Right, I think it's time you gave me the complete lowdown on what exactly happened out there. Gather up the key witnesses, including Lieutenant Becket for a debriefing. Please, don't involve Trumble. I'd like to get his version of the events in private later. I've already spoken to Ronon, so he needn't attend at the present time. Oh, but make sure that visiting geologist…er…Dr Finnegan and Corporal Carpenter do. We'll convene in an hour's time in the conference room. Now, I'm going to the infirmary to see if anything has changed. Then I'll be preparing my personal condolences for Doctor Stein's family in Germany."

"Yeah, poor man. That was a horrible way to go. Well, I'd better go and see about organising the debriefing." Woolsey nodded his agreement. As Lorne got up and started to move out of his office, he turned back. "I sincerely hope the Colonel's pulls out of whatever is wrong with him for Teyla and the children's sake," he added before leaving Woolsey alone.

Evan also had something else to deal with, something that would involve the geology department.

oOo

Beth was in a really difficult and unusually stubborn mood, which had her current childminder Carla Blake frustrated to the point of screaming. To make matters worse, Torren wasn't being much better. It had been bad enough for the children to have woken to find their mother absent and a relative stranger looking after them. Now it was even worse as Teyla had yet to turn up even after two hours had gone by since they had gotten out of bed. The children had simply refused to eat or be entertained by the young nurse.

In the end, Carla had contacted the infirmary to explain the situation. That had been some twenty minutes ago now and still nothing. The nurse knew it was probably difficult for Teyla as she was no doubt finding it hard to leave the Colonel's side, even for a moment. From all accounts, there had been no change in the Commander's condition, which had everyone who knew about it very concerned.

Beth finally had enough. She stood in the middle of the room and screamed at the top of her lungs. "I want my momma!"

Carla was at a total loss. Normally, she was good with kids, but this little madam was something else. "Beth, how many times must I tell you? Your mother is busy. I'm sure she'll be along as soon as she can."

The nurse watched in despair as the girl started to cry and Torren looked like he might. The door of the quarters suddenly whooshed open and Carla turned, hoping to see Teyla enter. Instead, it was Ronon and Amelia Banks.

"Oh, am I glad to see you two," Carla murmured. "I can't seem to calm them down or get them to do anything."

"Yeah, guess that's understandable. We'll take over now."Ronon assured her, having to speak loudly over Beth's crying.

Nodding in relief, Carla prepared to leave when Amelia told her. "Teyla sends her thanks. I'm sorry you've had such a rotten time."

Carla smiled. "I'm sure they aren't normally like this."

"No, they're not," Amelia replied as she bent down in front of the children and pulled them to her. She turned to the little girl who was finally calming down. "What has you so upset, Beth?"

The little girl chewed on her lower lip and looked directly up at her Uncle Ronon. "Momma's wasn't here and…Atlantis is so very…sad. Now you're here and not our daddy."

Torren looked at his sister and realised what she was implying. Also looking up at Uncle Ronon, he asked. "Has something bad happened to daddy?"

Ronon threw Amelia a quick glance. He hated this kind of thing as he wasn't good with words. Thankfully, his lady love was much better. The very perceptive children needed to be told something, so Amelia told them. "Your daddy has had an accident, which has your momma and everyone else a little worried about."

"Is he going to die?" Torren asked in a quivery voice.

"Oh no, the doctors believe not. He has some injuries, but they are not too bad. Your daddy…, _Oh god, how do I explain this to them?_ "Your daddy is not…talking to us right now. He seems to be in his own little dream world."

Beth frowned. "Is that why I can't feel him anymore?"

Amelia knew all about their connection through their ATA gene. There had always been a strong link between the two of them. Some theorised it was because of their link with the city. Others claimed the bond was formed because the Colonel had saved the little girl from certain death. Whatever, there was no doubt in Amelia's mind that Beth needed reassurance. "Most likely, sweetheart. The doctors are doing all they can to understand why your daddy isn't responding to us. There has to be a good reason and I'm sure they will get to the bottom of it."

Amelia words seemed to pacify the children for now. They even allowed Ronon and herself to take them for a late breakfast.

oOo

Teyla knew she should have returned to the children ages ago, but she wanted to be there to hear the results of the brain scans and other tests the doctors were currently carrying out on John. She had spent hours with him, simply holding his hand and willing him to look at her and say something, anything. She had talked quietly about how much she loved him and that he needed to get better for the children's sake and hers, of course. There had been no reaction from him, whatsoever. The only thing that had happened, his body appeared to relax for a while and he actually seemed to be asleep. However, it was difficult to tell because his eyes remained half open. Because of the possibility of them drying out, a nurse had applied drops at regular intervals.

Just over an hour ago they had wheeled John out for a battery of tests and now every sound had Teyla on edge. Rodney had joined her at one point but hadn't stayed very long, claiming he needed to do some research. Mr Woolsey had been by and had apprised her on the latest developments concerning Trumble. How she detested that man. She had also asked Ronon to stay away from the man as attacking him would only make matters worse for John. Thankfully Ronon had agreed.

Deep in thought, she nearly jumped out of her skin when Carson appeared in front of her and quietly called. "Let's go into my office for a minute, love."

Teyla's heart pounded and the baby kicked, obviously not liking his mother's reaction. Teyla tried her hardest to calm her nerves for her unborn child's sake, but it wasn't easy. She sat down in front of Carson's small desk and waited for him to speak.

"Well, the good news is there's no sign of actual brain damage which could have been caused by a fall or any other reason. The blood tests have also come back clean, meaning he wasn't bitten or poisoned by anything he may have ingested. "

Teyla silently thanked the Ancestors for that small mercy. "And the bad?"

Carson simply shook his head. "There's absolutely no explanation as to why he's not responding to any stimulation whatsoever. As we've said before, even pain. We can do what we like to him and he simply doesn't react. I spoke to Rodney earlier and he said he would search the Ancient database for any information on that planet and any possible reason for what's happened to John."

Teyla looked thoughtful. "When Rodney came by earlier he spoke of not feeling so…with it as they approached the valley where John was. Apparently, Evan's reacted was even stronger. Could it be something to do with their ATA gene?"

"Aye, that's a distinct possibility. But if so, why is he still being affected and how the heck do we get him back?"

TBC


	29. Chapter 29

Deadly Intent 29

After hearing the results concerning the various tests done on John, Teyla decided to stay by his side for a little while longer. Although, Carson had reassured her that there was no brain damage they still didn't have an explanation as to why John appeared to be a catatonic state. Carson had been totally mystified because his brain had shown high activity from time to time, yet he wasn't responding to anything at all.

It upset Teyla to see him like this as John was one of the most intelligent and active people she had ever known. His quick thinking and compassion had saved the day so many times now. It just didn't seem natural for him to be so still and silent.

Although Carson had been with her for most of the time, he had left about five minutes ago to attend to an emergency. So now Teyla decided she would also leave to finally get some rest. She knew Ronon and Amelia were minding the children at the moment, so she quickly headed back to her quarters hoping the children weren't there as she needed some peace and quiet.

Teyla really didn't feel like eating as her appetite had dimensioned quite drastically but knew she should for the sake of her unborn child. Entering the kitchen area, she quickly got a fruit drink, a slice of dry toast and a small piece of fruit. After eating it without any real desire, she headed for the bedroom, promising herself that it would be for no more than a few hours.

oOo

Doctor Julia Ross entered the infirmary not knowing anything about recent events because she had been in her guest quarters all night. She knew Carson Beckett was off-world on a mission with Colonel Sheppard to recover Trumble and several others, but that was about all. When Julia caught sight of Carson, she smiled at him brightly. "Oh you're back. Don't tell me you brought that dreadful man back, too."

"If you're referring to Trumble, then aye unfortunately, we did. Sorry, but I can't stop right now, lass, as we've got a little emergency on our hands."

Julia looked concerned. "Do you need any help?"

Carson thought about it for a moment. He felt like a walking zombie because he was so tired. He blinked to keep his eyes open. "Aye, you most certainly can. The more hands the merrier."

"What exactly is the emergency?"

"Come with me and I'll explain." Carson motioned for her to walk behind him as he led her into the treatment room.

Upon entering, Julia saw a young man lying on the gurney. He looked in a bad way as if he'd been beaten to a pulp. "What the heaven's name happened to him?"

"We're not too sure, but Private Doman is lucky to be alive. Thankfully, one of his team found him fairly quickly. " Carson began scrubbing up with the help of a nurse. "If you could also scrub up you can help me access his wounds. I understand you're pretty good at suturing?"

Julia nodded and another nurse moved to help her get ready.

It took the team about forty minutes to clean the young man up and get him settled into an infirmary bed. Julia had been surprised to learn that the incident had happened off-world during a mission. Carson had informed her that, unfortunately, these incidents did happen from time to time when a local inhabitant attacked one of their own for some reason or another.

With the young marine settled, Carson invited Julia into his office for a welcome cup of tea or coffee.

"You look dead on your feet, Carson."

"Aye that I am. I haven't slept in a good long time, what with one thing and another."

By now Julia was curious as to why he was still on duty. "Surely you should have had some well-earned rest after your return from that planet?"

Carson leant forward slightly. "That would have been nice, but there hasn't been time. It was rather hectic after I arrived back. Firstly, the rescue team needed their medical checkups and then there was the question of helping the staff with Colonel Sheppard and trying to figure out what was wrong with him. I eventually relieved Jennifer because she'd been up for hours and needed to get back to her wee son."

"The Colonel has been injured?"

Carson looked at his hands for a second and nodded. He then proceeded to tell Julia about everything that had transpired during Trumble's rescue and the state Sheppard was now in. At the end, he whispered. "Whatever you do, don't let General Trumble know about it. Also, don't let him into the infirmary under any circumstances. My staff members have all been told the same."

Julia couldn't believe what she'd heard. "So that's why there's an S.O. by the entry. Don't worry I most certainly won't let on that Sheppard isn't anything other than physically hurt. I do hope he comes out of it soon," she whispered. Julia looked at Carson as he seemed to be nodding off. "You really should get some rest. I know I'm not part of the Atlantis staff, but I could fill in for you for a while. At least until another doctor is back on duty."

Carson liked the idea of that. "Oh, I don't see why not. Thanks, lass. Doctor Cole will be here in a couple of hour's time. Oh, and Doctor Robinson will be making an appearance sometime in the next hour or so. At the moment she's busy analyzing the Colonel's brain scans as well as trying to help young Private Selkirk. A dreadful problem that." Julia didn't know if he was referring to Sheppard, to the traumatised marine or to both of them. "The nurses will help you out if you need anything." With that Carson stood up and yawned.

Julia already knew that Claire Robinson was the resident psychiatrist, so she didn't have to ask. She shooed him along. "Off you go already."

"Aye right, bossy boots."

oOo

Several floors above in the conference room, the debriefing Mr Woolsey had required was drawing to a close. Richard exchanged a quick glance with Colonel Lorne, signalling that he wanted the officer to stay behind as the others began to trail out.

As soon as they were gone, Richard made sure the panel doors closed before turning back to address Evan. "Was it my imagination or did Corporal Carpenter seemed a little on edge to you?"

"Has been ever since the rescue. Maybe he's still traumatised by the whole incident. Not as bad as Private Selkirk, of course, but…,"

"That could well be, but I got the feeling he's keeping something back." Woolsey interrupted. "I don't buy the whole Wraith and Colonel Sheppard falling over the edge during a tussle thing. It just doesn't seem to ring true…I think it was made up. Of course, I might be totally wrong about that as I wasn't there. I suppose we'll have to wait until the Colonel recovers to find out the whole truth."

Evan was thoughtful for a moment. "What if it wasn't the Wraith?"

Richard looked slightly surprised, if not a little shocked. "You mean it could have been that young Corporal? But why in heavens name would he do that?"

"Who knows? Or it could have been a certain General who's had it in for Sheppard ever since he arrived."

Now Richard was really shocked but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a possibility. "That's quite an accusation you're making, Colonel. However, maybe it would be prudent to post a guard near Colonel Sheppard's bed just in case."

Lorne nodded. "I'll see to it. Although at the moment all the entries to the infirmary are guarded, so the Colonel should be safe enough for now." _At least he hoped so._

oOo

Beth quietly slipped down the corridor that she knew led directly to the infirmary. The little girl wanted to see her daddy and had managed to give Uncle Ronon the slip while he was dealing with Torren's bathroom needs. Auntie Amelia had been called back to duty, so there had just been the three of them. Beth hadn't wanted to cause Uncle Ronon any trouble, but she wanted to see her daddy with her own eyes and she was determined to do so.

Beth knew she wouldn't have long to do it because Uncle Ronon was bound to guess where she'd gone. Eventually, she came to the entry she wanted, but there was a guard blocking the way. Her little mouth turned down in disappointment because Beth knew the guard would try to stop her. Then she thought maybe she could make up a story about wanting to see her momma. However, her plans quickly changed. The nasty big General from daddy's planet came striding down the corridor, walking right by her without seeing her. Then he tried to go into the infirmary. The guard moved to stop him and a big argument started. Beth saw her opportunity and quiet slipped by unnoticed.

Now that she had made it into the outer waiting area, all she had to do was find her daddy without anyone seeing her. Most of the time she crawled between the beds and equipment being very careful not to show herself until no one was looking her way.

One level above infirmary, Ronon and Torren emerged from a public bathroom only to find Beth not waiting for them as she'd been told to. Ronon exchanged a look with the little boy. Torren only grinned at him. He knew his sister very well.

Ronon sighed. "Okay, I bet she's gone to the infirmary." Torren nodded at him. "What do you think, should we give her a little time to find your daddy?"

The little boy thought about it for a minute. He wanted to go as well, but he knew Beth had a special connection with their daddy. He also knew their daddy wasn't well right now and wasn't talking or something like that. Torren wasn't so sure he wanted to see his daddy like that. He nodded. "Yes, Uncle Ronon."

"Right." With that Ronon took the boy into the gym, where they'd been heading for in the first place. "We'll give her a short time. She'll probably get caught anyway."

Torren vigorously shook his head. "No, she won't."

Ronon smiled. Somehow he knew the boy was probably right.

Beth searched the beds, high and low with no sign of her daddy. Her eyes began to fill with tears wondering if the adults were lying to them about daddy begin still alive. Then she remembered the isolation room a little way off down another corridor. Maybe he was there. She just hoped that no one was with her daddy at the moment. Ronon had told her that momma had gone to rest at home, so Beth knew she wouldn't be there.

The door lay ahead and Beth was just about to enter it when she suddenly realised that the city was helping her. A sense of warning made her hide behind a piece of equipment and Beth watched as the nurse called Marie left the room carrying a tray. Although the nurse was gone, Beth had no idea how long it would be before she returned. Wasting no time, she quickly slipped into the room only to stop dead in her tracks upon seeing her father lying so very still and lifeless. Of course, she couldn't see his face from her height, so she quickly pulled a chair next the bed to climb up.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked into his empty eyes. Her voice quivered as she spoke to him. "Daddy, what's wrong with you?" Of course, she got no answer. So Beth moved onto the bed and cuddled into him being very careful not to touch the bandaged bits. Her little hands moved over his face as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

They came even faster until eventually, they began to ease. It left her feeling very drowsy. Not meaning to, Beth fell asleep with her hand still resting on her daddy's face.

TBC

 _Author's note:- Thanks again for all the interest and reviews. That's all until next year folks. (Don't worry I'll post as soon as possible in January). Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year._


	30. Chapter 30

Deadly Intent 30

He surfed. He'd been surfing now for days. Surfing effortlessly across magnificently high waves that glided his board over the sea with ease. So cool, so calming that he didn't want to leave the sea, but surely he couldn't surf forever? Only problem though, he could no longer remember a time when he wasn't here. He couldn't even remember where this beautiful sea was anymore. All he knew the sharks had gone to leave the sea safe and crystal clear. The water was more a lilac shade than blue, which should have seemed strange to him yet it didn't. When he thought about it though, he hadn't seen any other surfers. Now that was a strange fact as the beach was perfect with just the right kind of wind and surf. He thought he perceived people off in the far distance from time to time. But never close enough to see them clearly.

Until now.

He looked at the great expanse of white sand beyond the waves and saw a lonely child standing on the water's edge. His sense of curiosity made him paddle his board nearer to the shore for the first time in days.

"Hey, kid!" he shouted. "What are you doing here all alone? Where are your parents?"

Beth looked at the man she called daddy, not understanding why he didn't know who she was. "Please come back to us, Daddy," she whimpered.

"You're mistaken. I'm not your father, little girl." John looked beyond her, searching along the shoreline for any sign of her parents. There was no one there. "What's your name?"

"Mine's Beth. What's yours?" she asked him as if she didn't know.

"I'm…," He raked his brain, yet his name eluded him. "I'm the surfer," he answered after a pause.

Beth looked at her feet. Something was very wrong. She felt like crying again. Instead, a shuddering breath escaped her lips. "The surfer?" she shook her head. "No, you're my daddy. Your name is John."

He sighed; he'd never heard that name before. The child had a bad case of mistaken identity. It was his turn to shake his head. "I told you before you're mistaken. I'm the surfer and that's what I do all the time because I need to. The sea wants me to. Like I said, I'm not your daddy." _Or was he? If he couldn't remember his name, maybe he couldn't remember having a family._

Beth ignored the last sentence. "Please daddy, come back home. We need you. Atlantis is very sad."

He sighed. "I'm telling you again, little girl, I am not your daddy. Atlantis? What's that?"

Beth pointed out to sea. "It's a city that floats on water. That's where we all live. Atlantis is very sad because she can't connect to you."

He stared at her, totally confused. Not only was the girl mistaking him for her father, but she was dreaming up things too. However, something drove him to look to where she was pointing. He thought he saw a faint outline of a large object out on the horizon. Sunlight caught the object just for a second or so. He could clearly see shiny, tall towers jutting out of the sea. Then it was gone.

He turned back to the little girl to ask her what it all meant. However, she was gone too.

Shrugging his shoulders, he sighed and went back to his surfing. Although it had been kind of nice talking to another human being, if only for a minute or two.

oOo

Beth woke to find herself in the arms of head nurse Marie. Her little fists instinctively grabbed hold of the nurse's scrub top as she burst into tears. Marie didn't know what to do. She had found the child lying fast asleep, half across the Colonel's chest just a few seconds ago. Thankfully it had been on the Colonel's uninjured side. Nevertheless, she had automatically plucked the child off her father.

Sitting down on the nearby stool, Marie held Beth close and tried to pacify her. Stroking her soft golden hair, Marie thought the child's crying had something to do with her actions. "I'm so sorry for waking you up so abruptly," Marie quietly smoothed. "I'm not angry with you. It's just that your daddy's not well enough for cuddles right now."

Beth gave a shuddering hiccup and looked up at the nurse. Her little face came close to tears again. She tucked her lower lip under her teeth before whispering. "Daddy didn't know me."

Marie was confused. "He doesn't know any of us at the moment, Beth," she sadly informed the child.

What Beth said next had the nurse thinking. "Daddy's trap in the…," Tears formed again when she couldn't think of how to describe her daddy's problem.

Marie wiped the tears away and popped the girl back on her feet. "Come on, I think it's best if you come with me and tell your Momma or Uncle Rodney what happened while you were asleep."

Beth nodded and gave one final glance in her father's direction. Nothing had changed.

They had just left the isolation room when they encountered Ronon and Torren. Marie explained where she had found Beth.

Ronon looked a little guilty. "My fault. I should have gone after her straight away. I didn't think it would harm her though."

Beth looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I wanted to see daddy." She bit her lip and screwed her face up just seconds away from crying again. Torren saw it and wrapped his arms around his sister. The two children stood quietly together as Marie explained Beth's strange words.

Ronon looked thoughtful. "Well, their mom's resting at the moment, so I'll take her to see McKay. Maybe he can make something of it. Thanks anyway." With that Ronon grabbed the children's hands and lead them off towards McKay's lab.

They entered the lab some ten minutes later to find Rodney deep in discussion with Zelenka. It actually sounded more like an argument. Upon seeing them, Zelenka breathed a sigh of relief and quickly left muttering something in Czech. Normally, the children would have found that funny, but they didn't react.

Rodney sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. He'd been looking at his monitor for far too long. Right now he really didn't want the kids disturbing him, so what he said next sounded short and grumpy. "I haven't got time now if I'm ever going to make headway with the information. So if you'd kindly leave," he finished, pointing to the exit.

Beth stood her ground and scowled at her uncle. She was really getting quite good at it. Ronon quickly intervened. "Beth's been in touch with Sheppard through a dream."

"What! You mean she had a dream and it was about her daddy."

Beth stomped her little feet and pouted. "No, it was not a dream. It was my daddy. I could talk to him."

Rodney still looked sceptical. "Okay…when did this…umm…not a dream occur?"

"According to Marie, Beth snuck into Sheppard's room and was found fast asleep right next to him," Ronon answered the scientist.

Beth looked pleased that she'd managed to do that even though it had upset her, a lot. "Daddy won't leave the sea because he's trapped in it." Both adults exchanged a puzzled look not knowing what she really meant by that.

"Come again?" Rodney asked.

Beth looked confused and a little upset because she didn't know why her uncle wanted her to leave and come again. Ronon saw her confusion. Good thing he understood what Rodney meant by that as he'd learnt the English idioms a long time ago, mainly from Sheppard or some of the Marines. "Uncle Rodney means he wants you to explain what you just said about your daddy being trapped."

"Yes, maybe the full story if you can remember it."

Beth climbed up onto the chair next to her uncle and looked at him straight in the eye before telling him as best she could about the strange meeting she'd had with her daddy. About the fact that he didn't know her. He didn't seem to know his own name. That he couldn't leave the lovely water because he needed to surf all the time. The sea wanted it.

Rodney frowned at her. "The sea wanted it?"

Beth nodded her head. "The sea was funny colour. Our sea is…" She had to think for a minute. "Blue, but the sea where daddy is…is," She looked around the room trying to see something that was the same colour but failed. "It's Torren's favourite colour."

Torren looked at his sister and shouted. "Lilac!"

Beth joined in with her own shout. "Lilac and blue!" Remembering the two colours of the sea where her daddy was.

The adults covered their ears for a moment before Rodney spoke. "Umm…I have no idea what that really means, but I think something in the Ancient database may actually help us. Just give me an hour or so to read through the information I've found."

"Is it connected to that planet?" Ronon asked as he plucked Beth off the chair. Rodney didn't look up from the computer screen, he just slowly nodded. Ronon took that as a yes and left the scientist to work. It was nearly time for lunch anyway and he was hungry. He guessed the kids were too.

Ronon never got very far before he ran into Colonel Lorne. "Hey, how are things?" Evan asked keeping his face straight in all seriousness.

The kids shuffled their feet while Ronon replied. "Not bad."

"Maybe we could meet up later as I have a few issues to discuss with you. Say in a couple of hours?"

Ronon knew that Lorne won't want the kids to be there, although by that time Teyla or someone else should be available to watch them. "Okay. In your office?"

"Err…nope, in the smaller meeting room." Ronon nodded and Lorne watched the big guy take the children further on before continuing to reach his destination.

A few minutes later, the Colonel entered a lab not that far from McKay's. It was the main lab used by the geology department. Everywhere he looked were rock samples either on display or piled into boxes. But Evan wasn't here to view rocks. Earlier, he had dropped off the stone samples they'd recovered from amongst the abducted team's belongings. He'd wanted them analysed and now he had come to hear the results.

Although Doctor Stein was dead, the department had several other highly competent geologists. Next in line and now the department head was Doctor Alison Bradshaw. She smiled warmly at Evan as he approached. "Right on cue, Colonel. We've just finished with the evaluation. As promised, Doctor Finnegan knows nothing about it."

"Good. So what were they after?"

Alison reached into a drawer and pulled out the small canvas pouch. She pulled back the drawstring and tipped the contents onto the work surface. "What you have here is an absolute fortune. They may not look like much at the moment, but the few samples we've tested so far have revealed some high-class gemstones. Cleaned up and cut correctly you'd have some finest examples of red diamonds."

"Red diamonds? I thought diamonds were always clear white?"

"Oh, no, diamonds can come in various shades. One piece turned out to be very rare indeed and highly valuable because the stone is a rare red emerald. I would say the market value of all these stones would run into millions." Alison said in all honesty. "If Dieter and the others were really trying to smuggle these back to Earth they would have been very rich at the end of the day. But isn't there a Stargate ruling concerning that? I mean my staff and I have always been checked before heading back to Earth."

"Yes, there is a ruling and the implications are very serious. These aren't all the stones they had. There are at least four more pouches full of them back on the planet."

Alison's eyes went wide. "Really? Wow."

Evan smiled to himself. _You are in serious trouble General Trumble._ Of course, he didn't voice that to the lovely woman standing before him. "Okay, let's gather together these stones and I'll get them into a secure place. Please write a full report and get it to me in an hour's time, if possible. Things are beginning to come together, but Doctor Finnegan must remain in the dark as I don't want him tipping off a certain General."

"No problem. He hasn't been near the department since his return." Alison said as she helped Evan return to the gems stones to their pouch. Evan quickly tucked the pouch into his shirt pocket. Alison looked at him. "I heard about Colonel Sheppard. I do hope he makes a speedy recovery."

"Yeah, I hope so too." He didn't say anything more as Sheppard's catatonic state wasn't common knowledge.

Evan was just about to head out when Rodney blocked his way. "Ah, good, they told me I would find you here."

Evan sighed. "What you do want me for, McKay?"

Rodney clicked his fingers and said quietly so that no one could overhear him. "I think I may have found out what's causing Sheppard's problem."

TBC

* * *

 _Author's Note:- Hope everyone had a good New Year's celebration. Slowly getting towards the end of the story but there's still plenty of uncertainty and the like to come._


	31. Chapter 31

Deadly Intent 31

After McKay's announcement, he and Lorne quickly moved back to the privacy of his lab. Once there, Rodney closed the big, drop down door panel so that no one could disturb them.

Settling himself onto a stool, Evan looked to the astrophysicist patiently waiting for him to say something. However, McKay seemed to be deep in thought. "Well, are you going to tell me or not?" Evan prompted.

Rodney held up his thumb and index finger indicating a very small gap. "When I said I may have found the problem, I may have been a little too overconfident."

Evan stared at him in surprise. For McKay to admit that was very unusual indeed. "Why's that?" Evan asked.

"Well, the database definitely mentions a problem with that valley. As you know, the Ancients mined the planet looking for any useful crystals or crystalline solids for their technology. That's a solid material whose constituents i.e. atoms are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a lattice that extends in all directions. Despite the fact that we call all their control devices crystals, very few are actually made from natural crystal. Most were artificially formed by them. The natural ones do stem from that planet."

Evan sighed. "Get to the point, McKay."

Rodney scowled at him and huffed. "You're getting as bad as Sheppard." He sobered when he thought of the state his best friend was currently in. Evan was right though, he really needed to get to the point. "Okay, both of us experienced some problems with concentration and the like when we approached the valley."

"Yeah."

"Well, according to the database that valley holds a massive and extremely rare crystalline formation that the Ancients called the mind scrambler or stealer. I believe it's that purple shaded, amethyst like outcrop surrounding the underground river's exit point."

Lorne slowly nodded. "Yeah, I could almost feel it pulling on my mind. It was so bright and very spectacular."

"Yes, yes, but also very dangerous. The Ancients stopped going to the valley and posted a warning after they lost some pilots and their passengers to its effects. According to the database, the frequency admitted by the crystal caused the victims to lose their natural ability to judge distance, to concentrate and even use their common sense. One flew his Jumper right into a cliff face. Another didn't judge a landing correctly and crashed into the lake. I guess they were attacked by those awful sea monsters before they could be rescued."

"Wow, it's a good job I wasn't that badly affected. That doesn't explain the Colonel's current condition though."

Rodney remained silent for a minute while he tried to come up with an answer for that. "The database confirmed its ATA related, which would explain why we weren't quite so badly affected. Although I don't like to admit it, Sheppard definitely has a stronger gene than either of us. According to the Ancients, its effects should have worn off once he was away from the source. That's what we experienced, yet Beth says he's still trapped by a lilac coloured sea."

Lorne looked puzzled. "When did she say that?" Rodney realised that the Colonel wouldn't have known about Beth's contact with her father, so he quickly summarised the facts. Lorne smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. "Trust Beth to find a way to see him. She sure loves her daddy."

"Yes, she does," Rodney just hoped his son would be as devoted once he was a little older. He thought of Torren, although the boy loved John, he didn't have quite the same connection as Beth. Probably something to do with the ATA gene the two of them shared and the fact she was a girl. "As to Sheppard's plight, I'm stumped because the database mentions nothing at all about this particular problem. Trust Sheppard to get into a situation that no one else has ever experienced."

Evan agreed with Rodney, although he didn't voice it as he could see how baffled the scientist truly was. "I can see what you meant when you said you may have found the problem. Maybe we should let Beth have another go at trying to bring him back."

Rodney shook his head. "She seemed pretty upset. I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I need to speak to Jennifer or Carson, maybe they can think of some reason why it's happening."

"You do that, doc. Before I go, there are a couple of things you should know. Whatever you do, don't mention a thing about this to any of our visitors or other Atlantis personnel at the moment." After Rodney agreed not to, Evan told him all about the diamonds and their suspicions concerning Sheppard's fall.

Rodney's reaction was predictable of course. "I just knew it. That General is a shifty, no good bastard. Who else knows about this?"

"Mr Woolsey knows about it. He believes the same as I do. Although concerning the diamonds, it's just me and a few geologists at the moment. I'll be informing Mr Woolsey once I leave here."

McKay looked thoughtful. "Teyla should know how you feel."

"Yes, she should. Remember though it is just a feeling. We have no proof whatsoever to back it up."

"Yes, yes, I get it. I'll tell her when I see her." Lorne nodded his thanks. He started to walk away when Rodney called after him. "Be careful, Lorne."

Evan was surprised to hear that, although he didn't know if McKay was referring to his suspicions concerning the General or the fact he was carrying millions of dollars worth of uncut red diamonds in his pocket.

Rodney watched him go for a minute. Like he'd told Lorne, he would explain his findings to his wife or Carson. Although, he preferred to not go to the infirmary to see them as there was a chance they would be with Sheppard. He just didn't know whether he could face seeing John like he was. Naturally, he would see Jennifer later at home. Was that already too late, though? Rodney had no idea just how much time John still had.

Feeling suddenly very guilty, Rodney knew he shouldn't be thinking this way. However, it was just so hard to see the once active, quick thinking and most certainly highly intelligent man staring off into space at nothing. Rodney had joked often enough about John's lack of brains, yet that couldn't have been further from the truth. While John may not have his knowledge of the inner workings of the universe and the technical know-how, he did process the innate ability to quickly access situations and come up with brilliant solutions. And he was a natural born leader. A man people listened to and followed without question. Yes, John had his faults, everyone did. It was John who had made Rodney realise that he had them, too.

Rodney finally admitted that it was mainly John's doing that had turned him into a better man than the one that had left Earth all those years ago. John had shown him friendship and courage despite his selfish ways. In the end, Rodney had started to care for others more than himself and in turn, he had finally found love and companionship. He knew for sure that John wouldn't have hesitated for a second if the shoe had been on the other foot. In fact, it had been John's friendship and devotion that had seen him through that dreadful episode when the brain-infecting parasite had nearly destroyed his mind four years back.

Telling himself to stop being a coward, Rodney finally left his lab to go and speak to his wife. Then he intended to seek out Teyla.

oOo

When Teyla had first heard about Beth sneaking into the infirmary to see her father she had been very annoyed that the child had disobeyed her. When she had seen her daughter's face looking so sad and so full of anguish, Teyla's ire had dispersed quicker than the smoke from an extinguished candle. After all, it was Beth's nature to seek her father out. She had done it even as a young infant. Teyla realised maybe she'd been wrong to keep her away from his bedside. So now that Beth knew about her father's problem and no doubt Torren too, Teyla no longer saw any need to keep them away from him.

Rodney had been to see her shortly after she had risen from her rest. When he had mentioned Trumble's possible involvement in John's fall, Teyla had felt incensed. However, she had quickly calmed down as there was no proof to back it up. At least not yet. He'd also told her about the crystal and its destructive power. How it could be responsible for John's current state. Yet, Rodney had been at a loss to know why.

Teyla prayed that the doctors would come up with something. She was currently heading to the infirmary to talk with them while the children had some lessons with Ms Clarkson. Rodney and Ronon would be there, too.

Then later before their bedtime, Teyla intended to let the children visit their father. Officially this time.

oOo

Trumble watched the pregnant whore enter the infirmary. No doubt to speak to Sheppard. So far he'd been unable to get anywhere near the immoral officer. It hadn't been for the want of trying. The fact that he hadn't been questioned yet about Sheppard's fall could mean the bastard hadn't talked yet. Of course, there was always the possibility that he didn't realise someone had pushed him. Then again, he could have lost his memory due to the trauma of his ordeal. Trumble could only hope.

Whatever, the General knew he couldn't risk having Sheppard talk, so he still needed to get to the man and finish him off for good. Sometime in the night would be his best bet when the infirmary was thinly staffed and the guards half asleep.

oOo

The small group gathered around John's bed, not knowing what to do to help him. He looked so pale and so very lost as if the bed would swallow him up any minute. Several IV.s hung above his head, one still delivering whole blood, and the other much needed fluid. A monitor bleeped a steady sound, but it seemed awfully slow to inexpert ears.

Jennifer explained the continuing need for transfusion. She knew what she had to say next was going to be hard to hear. "Unfortunately, despite his body taking obvious rest periods, he's slowly getting weaker. We can't honestly say how much longer it will be before his heart gives out."

"You mean…,"

"Yes, Rodney. Unless we come up with an answer soon, he's not going to make it." Jennifer turned to Teyla and moved to comfort the pregnant woman. "I'm so sorry, but we won't give up on him."

Teyla closed her eyes, letting tears slowly run down her cheeks. She had faced this so many times. Here she was again wondering if she would ever again get look into his expressive, gorgeous eyes and see vibrant life within them. There had to be hope, something they were missing. She looked at her doctor friend and whispered. "I know you will not, Jennifer."

Carson moved to comfort her, too. "Aye, we'll certainly keep searching for the answer."

Ronon exchanged a brief look with McKay, but the scientist seemed deep in thought again.

John visitors and doctors were totally unaware of his continuing struggle. Lost in the surging waves, he was growing very, very tired. He'd been surfing now for a lifetime it seemed. Yet every time he tried to go ashore, a new wave would sweep up. He didn't even know if he had a surfboard anymore. The shore beyond remained forever empty now. The little girl never came back nor did the distant shadowy figures returned. He knew soon he would fall beneath the waves and rest forever. The thought sadden him somehow as something told him he had a life beyond the sea.

oOo

Richard Woolsey and Colonel Lorne entered the room they used for private meetings. It was the same room Elizabeth Weir had used to question the crew of the Daedalus all those years ago when a Goa'uld had used one of their own as a host.

One lone person sat on the chair placed behind the table. The minute he saw Colonel Lorne, he stood up straight and saluted.

"At ease, Corporal."

The young man sat back down as Mr Woolsey moved to sit across the table from him, while Lorne remained standing behind his boss. Corporal Carpenter had no idea why he was being questioned again. He could only guess it still concerned the fateful off-world trip. Or maybe Colonel Sheppard had talked. In which case he would have to try and talk his way out of it.

Woolsey cleared his throat and began. "Can you tell us in your own words what exactly you did the day before you were captured by the Wraith worshippers?"

 _Then again maybe not._ The Corporal glanced up at his superiors. "We just explored. The geologists wanted to visit the crystal cavern, so we did."

"And you were captured after you left the cavern?"

"Yes, sir. Like I've already stated, the attack came very swiftly. We had no chance to retaliate. They must have used a stun weapon of some kind."

Woolsey reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the small pouch. Then he carefully poured the contents on the table. "Do you know what these are?"

Carpenter looked a little alarmed, but he kept his composure. "I've never seen them before."

"That's strange considering this full pouch and several others like it were found amongst the Atlantis equipment and weapons the worshippers had obviously taken from you. Found in a storage area not far from the cell where you were kept."

"Then they probably belonged to the worshippers."

Putting the stones back in the pouch, Woolsey leant across the table to get a little closer. "Well, unless we've been selling canvas pouches on the open market in Pegasus, I very much doubt it. You see the little tag on the inside states, 'Made in China'. I showed the pouch to the head of the geology department only an hour ago and she confirmed that they are used for collecting small rock samples. In other words, they came from our Atlantis supplies."

"Then why don't you question Doctor Stei…," Then Carpenter remembered Stein was dead. He swallowed hard and corrected. "I mean Finnegan."

"Oh, we already have. He's made a full confession," Which was the truth as the visiting geologist had owned up to everything. Implicating everyone in the hunt for the valuable diamonds.

By now, the young corporal was looking anxious. "Well, they wanted to collect some rocks, so Selkirk and I just went along with it."

Carpenter had failed to ask what was so important about the samples, so that kind of showed his guilt. "So you had no idea what kind of rocks they were looking for?" Lorne asked.

"No, sir."

"So you have no idea that if they had been smuggled back to Earth and processed, they would have been worth a small fortune?" Woolsey asked.

Carpenter looked even more uneasy. He fidgeted on his chair and swallowed hard before replying. "No, sir."

Lorne moved around a bit and leaned forward. "Well, seeing as there were five of you and five pouches full of uncut diamonds, we deduced that you were all in on it." Carpenter sputtered at that. "Don't deny it, Corporal. It will only make matters worse for you. If you help us prove General Trumble's involvement, then we will make sure they go easy on you. At the moment, you're only guilty of article twenty-five in the SGC's rulebook. Which states no article or item of great value should be removed from another planet and transported back to Earth for personal gain."

"Okay, I admit to helping them, but I would have reported it before they left for Earth."

Lorne exchanged a disbelieving look with Woolsey. They didn't believe a word of it. Carpenter was trying to worm his way out of trouble. "Did the General have full knowledge of this?" Carpenter quickly shook his head. "Well, that seems a little strange seeing as he was with you people when you collected the gems. Okay, we will deal with that matter later. Right now, I want you to tell us once again what exactly happened in the other cavern and how Colonel Sheppard came to fall into the abyss?"

"Sir, I've already explained that the Wraith and the Colonel got into a fight. They both fell over the edge."

Woolsey had had enough. "Well, that doesn't concur with Colonel Sheppard's assessment. He clearly remembered the Wraith going over at least a good minute or so before he felt someone push him forcibly from behind." It was a buff of course, but Carpenter didn't need to know that.

The young corporal reminded silent. He felt cold to the core, things were not looking good for him. He had two options, either he could take the blame or he could tell the truth. Either way, his career was over and he was totally screwed. His family would disown him for sure.

"Corporal, are you going to come clean? Did you or did you not push the Colonel over the edge? Lorne asked him frankly.

"No, sir, I did not. If I tell you the truth will you give me full protection? I also want to be cleared in connection with the diamonds."

Woolsey looked astounded. "You're asking a lot, Corporal. I can guarantee that we will go easy on you if you cooperate. If you are implying that General Trumble pushed the Colonel, it's not going to be so easy to prove. He will say it's your word against his. However, we will certainly make sure he cannot take any form of retaliation against you. "

"Okay, I'll tell you everything that happened. I should have come straight out with the truth right after the event, but I was afraid. As you pointed out it would have been my word against his, and he's a General. I guess neither of us expected the Colonel to survive." The young man looked down at his hands. "It would have been very hard to live with though." After saying those words, Carpenter began relating the events that lead to John's fall. No one in the room realised how it could eventually lead to John's death anyway.

After confessing, Carpenter was escorted to the brig. Mainly to keep him safe from Trumble. At the moment they decided to keep the accusation from the General until they had more concrete proof. Difficult as the only other witness was currently lying in the infirmary and very much indisposed.

TBC


	32. Chapter 32

Deadly Intent 32

They were no closer to finding out what was causing John's steady deterioration. The doctors had examined him again. They repeated countless blood tests and other checks with the same results. The problem with the damage to his liver remained much the same, neither worse nor getting much better. However, it was his heart that was slowly finding it harder and harder to beat. They had him on a cocktail of drugs to help support him, but there was a limit to how much they could give without risking permanent damage. Now he seemed to be resisting the drugs. It was almost as if his body was trying to give up.

Teyla had brought the children by earlier to say goodnight, hoping it wasn't a forever goodbye. Beth had been particularly upset, leaving Teyla questioning her own judgement at letting them visit. The child had tried to connect with her daddy again. Afterwards, she'd had difficulty describing what she'd perceived. Through tears and hiccups, she had talked about only hearing a big loud crash of water in a steady beat and failing to see her daddy surfing the huge waves.

Teyla had taken the children back to their quarters about ten minutes ago after being reassured that John still had a little time left. She had every intention of returning to John's side once the children were settled and a childminder arrived. Rodney and Ronon had stayed behind to watch over their friend while the doctors continued their hardest to keep John alive. It was also to make sure General Trumble came nowhere near him.

Rodney sat by John's bed being unusually quiet as Carson monitored his patient's vitals for the umpteenth time. Jennifer was now off duty having gone home to care for their son a little while ago. Marie also busied around doing what was necessary to help her patient. The head nurse had known the Colonel now for many years. It upset her greatly to see him like this once again, but she vowed to care for him for as long as she could.

Rodney watched as Marie tended to the nasty graze and cut on John's forearm. And although it made him feel a little squeamish to look at, he asked. "When did that happen?"

Carson stopped what he was doing and turned to his friend. "What do you mean when did that happen? It was just one of many small or large cuts and grazes that John sustained while in that damn bloody awful cave system. Always hated going on trips to any caves. I can still well remember when the whole family went on a trip to a slate mine in Wales. I think I was only a nipper at the time, but it left a lasting impression on me. We had to wear tin hats and…."

"And yet you went into that cave to help rescue Sheppard." Ronon reminded him from where he stood against a wall.

"Aye that I did and I might add it took some Dutch courage to go in there. And a fat lot of good it was too," Carson muttered as he turned back to his patient.

Neither Carson nor Ronon had noticed that Rodney had stood up and was pacing from one side the room to the other. He suddenly stopped and started clicking his fingers. "That wound on his arm. Is it big enough to allow a crystal splinter to penetrate further into the skin if he'd fallen at the cave's exit point?"

"Aye, it could. It's mainly a deep graze, but one area has a nasty, deep cut. When we tended to it was bleeding, although very sluggishly. But Rodney, we scanned all his wounds for foreign objects and found nothing."

"Would the scan have shown a microscopic and obviously fairly smooth crystal fragment that had somehow already begun to travel in his bloodstream?"

Carson went quite pale and was silent for a minute as he contemplated. "Probably not, but Rodney, it's practically unheard of for something to travel like that. So are you really suggesting that a tiny piece of that damn crystal is currently in his bloodstream?"

Rodney went pale too and nodded. "I know it's farfetched. Nevertheless, we can't rule it out because maybe it's travelling towards his heart. If that's the case we haven't got much time. Have we now?"

"Oh bloody hell, no. If it gets there, John's a gonna for sure, no matter how small the fragment might be. Right, but how are we going to detect such a minuscule bugger?" Carson went quiet for a moment deep in thought. Then less than a minute later, he suddenly ran out of the room calling for a team to prep the O.R.

Rodney and Ronon were left wondering what the doctor had in mind. This wasn't their territory, but at least Rodney had the satisfaction of putting the idea in Carson's head. He only hoped he was right. Marie might have known something, but she kept quiet for now.

Carson returned a little while later with several staff members. "Right we're going to the use of the Ancient scanner. Then hope and pray we detect a slight blockage or something the crystal might be causing."

Rodney pondered for a moment. "If only I had more time than I could probably recalibrate the scanner to recognise the crystal's energy signature."

"Aye, but unfortunately we haven't much time. But why don't you start on that while we try to find it the good old fashion way."

Rodney nodded and started to leave only to stop dead in his tracks. "There's only one problem about that idea. Without a crystal sample, I have no idea how to go about it."

Carson patted him on the shoulder. "There isn't time to go back to that planet and it's too dangerous for an ATA carrier like you or Lorne. I'm sure John won't want you risking your life to get a crystal that you probably couldn't work with anyway. The idea was a sound one, but we're going to have to hope that the scanner will do the trick." With that Carson and his team moved their patient out of the isolation room. Not thinking about the risk to him at all.

Ronon headed for the door as Trumble couldn't get to Sheppard while he was in the O.R. "Come on, McKay. Let's go see Teyla and explain what's happening. I'll watch the kids while you bring her back here to wait it out."

oOo

"General Trumble, have you any idea what these are?" Woolsey asked as opened the canvas pouch and poured out the uncut diamonds onto the table that separated them.

Trumble looked closely at the stones he'd seen before. He guessed that they knew he'd helped collect them, so he couldn't very well deny any knowledge of them. "Oh yes, Doctor Stein wished to collect these rocks for his research, so naturally we all helped him. How did you obtain them anyway? I thought the human's who captured us had them confiscated. That Wraith monster called them useless firestones or something like that."

"So you have no idea what they really are?"

Trumble shook his head. "Absolute none. Like I said those brutes thought them worthless."

Woolsey lent back in his seat and clasped his hands together. "Then why did Doctor Stein want five pouches full of them. Didn't you find that a little strange, General?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm not a geologist. Therefore how could I have any knowledge of them?"

Leaning forward again, Woolsey looked Trumble in the eye. "And yet you were willing to enter a long and maybe dangerous cave system to help him collect them."

"I had no choice as the others wanted to see the so-called beauty of the place. Personally, I found the caves rather uninteresting."

Woolsey opened a folder in front of him. Inside sat several document pages, the top one clearly displaying Trumble's signature above a date stamp. He moved it around to face the man sitting opposite him. "Do you remember signing this disclosure, General?"

Trumble swallowed hard and muttered. "Of course, I do."

Woolsey brought the folder back to face him, "Paragraph five, article twenty-five states that no item should be removed from another planet and transported back to Earth for personal use or gain. That, of course, would certainly include gemstones and precious metals."

"What the hell has that got to do with me?"

"An awful lot, General. Even though you deny having knowledge of the stones, the rest of your small group do not and they have implicated you. These rocks as you call them are very valuable uncut red diamonds and there's even an emerald among the ones we tested. They would be worth a lot, and I mean, a lot back on Earth."

Trumble quickly stood up, knocking his chair over in the process. "You have no proof, Woolsey. And until you do, I fully deny this accusation. Now if you've finished with this nonsense, I'm going back to my quarters as it's getting rather late."

Trumble was right of course. They had no real proof other than Finnegan saying that he was involved. Strangely enough, Corporal Carpenter kept denying it. "All right, General, you may go for now, but I will be contacting Stargate Command over this matter as soon as possible. Please stay in your quarters until further notice."

Trumble wanted to answer back. The effrontery of the man telling a General what he could do. Knowing it was pointless to argue Trumble sent a scowl Woolsey's way and stormed out of the meeting room.

Woolsey sighed. If that wasn't a sign of guilt then he didn't know what was. However, Richard wasn't so interested in bringing him down for that crime at the moment. Although a serious offence, the attempted murder of Atlantis's military commander was a hundred times worse.

oOo

Over the years they had known each other, the original team were now more than just friends. They were family. Rodney no longer held back when his surrogate sister needed to be comforted. Of course, he dearly loved his only sister Jeannie back on Earth, but Teyla was also close to his heart as were John and Ronon.

While they waited for news, Rodney consoled her as best he could in his own still, slightly awkward manner. Ronon had joined them as Amelia had volunteered to watch the children. The three of them now sat in silence giving support and companionship as they patiently waited for any news.

oOo

Julia Ross had been asked to observe and maybe lend a hand at finding the crystal fragment. Although she wasn't a member of the Atlantis medical team, she had been only too willing to help out. It was blatantly clear that they were short of doctors at the moment. When she had asked why Carson had replied that the I.O.A. were keeping them shorthanded due to some budget cuts. Jennifer had put in a request for another doctor weeks ago. To date, nothing had been approved.

Julia watched now as Carson positioned the large Ancient scanner unit over John's prone body. Hopefully, it would show clear imaginary and they would detect a possible obstruction or energy signature caused by the crystal.

As the scanner's green light moved over their patient, Carson, Doctor Cole and Julia all watched the monitor closely for any sign of an abnormality. There didn't appear to be one. With a sigh, Carson ordered the nursing staff to run the smaller handheld scanner over John's chest. It detected nothing out of the ordinary, so he ordered another scan using the big one. Once again the unit passed over John. Then just as they were about to give up, a small point flashed dangerously close to the heart's main input vein, the Superior Vena Cava. It was just a fleeting moment, but it was enough to pinpoint what was hopefully the crystal fragment.

Little did they know, but Atlantis had given them a helping hand as the city wanted her favourite human back. It had taken the city a while to understand what they were looking for. Once her system recognised the foreign energy signature she was able to pinpoint it through the scanner.

Now came the tricky part. Carson had no choice, but to perform open heart surgery to try and extract the damn thing. He prayed for a steady hand. They couldn't leave the thing in any longer as it was obviously causing John a great deal of harm and would kill him for sure if it passed into the heart's right chamber.

As the anaesthetist prepared to put their patient under general anaesthetic, Carson vaguely wondered how John's mind would react to that. Usually, people didn't remember a thing under the drugs they use, but this situation wasn't usual. He also hoped they were right about the nature of the crystal and John's conscious mind and memories weren't actually locked inside the tiny fragment. If that was the case, then they could lose him forever.

oOo

The water suddenly began to calm like a mill pond on a summer's day. John relaxed, enjoying the peace at last. He spotted his surfboard drifting not far away and reached out for it. But surfing in such calm water was impossible, so he carefully lifted his tired and seemingly heavy body to lay flat on the board. His senses told him to make for the beach because something wasn't right anymore. Somehow with each passing moment the water seemed to be growing thicker. He didn't know why but he had a bad feeling about it. Trying not to panic, he slowly paddled towards where he hoped the shoreline lay. Yet even with a conscious effort he seemed to make no headway at all. The task seemed simply unachievable. He tried to fight it as somehow he realised his very existence depended on him reaching the beach. He dug his hands into the thick glue like substance and pulled with all his might.

His energy had been all but depleted as the water had resisted the whole time becoming thicker than used diesel oil. In fact the colour now looked a deep purple turning towards black. Total exhaustion had threatened to overwhelm him until at the last moment he could see a bright golden beach stretched before him. He just needed a few more paddles and he would be there. Falling from his board, John tried to scramble the last few feet through the sticky substance. His legs shook with the effort. Pain rose to engulf his entire body but he knew he had to make it onto the shore. Falling to his knees, he actually crawled the last few inches to eventually free himself of the gooey, sticky water. He collapsed onto his front to lie across the hot, sun-bleached sand that suddenly turned to black volcanic ash beneath him.

oOo

So far so good, after the anaesthetic had kicked in, Carson had opened the thorax and had identified the suspect area using the scanners recordings. He ran the handheld scanner over again and felt cold. The fragment now registered clearly. It had already travelled a little further towards the heart and it was now just centimetres away. Carson suddenly realised there was no way they could extract such a tiny thing so damn close to the heart.

He closed his eyes for a second and felt unaccustomed moisture form before turning to look Dr Cole in the eye. Her eyes held the same hopeless expression. Carson slowly shook his head. "I can't do it. I'd never find the damn thing without causing major heart failure."

Julia saw his distress. She felt helpless as she came to the same conclusion. Marie broke the silence then. "Is there nothing we can do?"

"No, lass. I'm sorry to say, but John Sheppard won't survive this…" Carson couldn't say more.

TBC

* * *

 _Sorry about yet another nasty cliffy. Hope you all have a great weekend. Next post should be Monday._


	33. Chapter 33

Deadly Intent 33

 _"_ _No, lass. I'm sorry to say but John Sheppard won't survive this…"_

"Carson, what's the problem?" Jennifer Keller asked as she entered the O.R. She had clearly heard Carson's comment.

Carson was glad to see her, although it wouldn't change the outcome. He quickly outlined the problem. Jennifer felt her own distress surface until a spark of an idea came to mind. "We need to buy him time."

"Aye, but it won't change the outcome."

"It might, Carson. First of all, I want you to put him on a heart and lung bypass machine and stop his heart so that fragment can't advance so quickly. I'm going to speak to Rodney."

Carson was totally baffled as to why that would be necessary. "May I ask why?"

Jennifer was already preparing to leave again. "Carson, just do it. I haven't got time to explain at the moment. It will all become clear once I've spoken to Rodney."

Jennifer entered the waiting area, thankful to see that Mr Woolsey was currently speaking to Teyla and Ronon as she didn't want to have to describe how bad things were looking at the present time. She gestured for Rodney to join her before moving well away from the waiting area to explain things to her husband.

Rodney went pale and looked at her with concern. "You're telling me it can't be removed with surgery?"

"Yes, Rodney. It's just too close to the heart and it's probably so tiny that it would be virtually detectable."

Lowering his head, Rodney slowly nodded. He felt a hopelessness that he hadn't experienced for years. There had always been some glimmer of hope, but this sounded really, really bad. "So what are we going to do?"

Jennifer gave him a quick kiss. "I'm hoping you'll save the day with your genius once again."

"Well, I haven't got the Force and I'm not going to use nanites on John. So how's that possible?"

"You may not have the Force, Rodney, but you have that little gizmo you and Radek found some months back."

Rodney looked alarmed. "What! You mean that small beaming device we think can move energy producing objects from one location to another?"

"Exactly!"

"Are you crazy? We only tested it once and although it worked, there's no telling what else it might beam along with the crystal. I could end up removing his heart, lungs or heavens forbid his brain along with it."

Jennifer knew there was a big risk, but it seemed like the only chance the Colonel had. "I know that. We have to give it a try as there's nothing else, other than nanites and John would hate us for that."

That Rodney could well imagine, as John had strongly disapproved when he'd used them on Elizabeth. Whatever, he wasn't about to risk using an untested device. He slowly shook his head. "No, no, I'm sorry. I won't be responsible for killing him."

Jennifer sighed. "John's as good as dead anyway. The only other thing we can try is to wait until the fragment passes into his heart and then try to remove it somehow. It could do so much damage to his heart that his career would definitely be over. Think of Teyla and the children."

"But he'd be still alive."

Jennifer shook her head. "There's no guarantee of that even assuming we find the fragment."

Rodney looking thoughtful, "Using that beaming device is no guarantee either."

"No, Rodney, it isn't but I think you owe it to John to at least give it a try."

Rodney knew she was right. In the end, he reluctantly agreed. So as Jennifer went back to the O.R to explain things to the surgical team, Rodney quickly went to his lab to collect the gizmo, as Jennifer called it.

Twenty minutes later, he entered the O.R after he had been scrubbed up by a very fussy nurse. His gaze immediately fell on John's exposed chest cavity as he hadn't realised they had cut him open. Although most of John's body was covered up with surgical sheeting there was still plenty of exposed skin and tubing that looked like it was carrying fluids and blood to a nearby machine. He felt positively queasy at the sight of it and quickly averted his gaze elsewhere. "Why the hell did you open him up?"

Carson tried to keep his cool. "And what else did you think we'd do, Rodney? Wave a magic wand over his chest? I had every intention of removing the crystal manually, but once I was in I realised what a hopeless task it would be." Rodney didn't answer back as he continued to stare at the floor.

Jennifer quickly grabbed his arm. "I'm glad Carson had already gone in as it made attaching the heart, lung machine that much easier and quicker."

By this time, Rodney was positively shaking. "I can't do this."

"Yes, you can, Rodney. John assisted me when I had to remove that creature from your brain, so you can do this for him. Now breathe deeply and think of the children."

"Yes, yes. Where's Hermoid when you need him," Rodney muttered as he raised his head and gulped in some air. Although still a bit shaky, he managed to move and start to set up the device. Making sure to keep his eyes well averted from operating table.

Carson steadied Rodney with his hand. "Aye, it would have been nice if that wee Asgard had of been here to assist. Unfortunately, he and his kind are long gone. Now we don't want that to happen to our beloved colonel, do we? So let's do this."

Rodney nodded with resolve. "Yes, let me save the day once again." Deciding to overcome his fear, he soon had the beaming device positioned over John.

Surprisingly it didn't take much to locate the crystal again. Despite stopping John's heart it was terribly close by now. Announcing he was ready, everyone held their breath as Rodney used the machine.

At first, it didn't seem as if anything had happened. _At least John's heart and lungs were still in place,_ Rodney thought as Carson directed the scanner over John's heart. It registered nothing, so Rodney took the scanner from Carson and held it over the containment unit. Both Rodney and Carson breathed a sigh of relief when they realised the fragment was now safely encased within the container.

Passing the good news on, Rodney wasted no time in preparing to leave the O.R. as he couldn't stand the sight of John's exposed inners any longer. In fact, he didn't think he could face his friend ever again within thinking about it.

Little known to McKay and the others, Atlantis was going into full panic mode. The city well remembered the trouble her makers had had with that particular crystal element. The information was fully documented in her database. However, it had taken a while for her central system to identify the crystals signature in the first place. And although she had helped her humans to identify the small fragment near John's heart, a later memory check of the large scanner had revealed at least four more fragments. Two near John's liver, one still in his arm and the other on its way to his brain. As yet though her humans hadn't done another full body scan to look for them. So they must be assuming there was only one.

She tried flashing the overhead lights. That got everyone's attention, but they soon turned back to their work. So she did it again. Once again they stopped working so the city switched on the big scanner, hoping they would understand.

"What the hells going on?" Carson called out to one in particular.

There were a few shrugs and looks of confusion. Then most of the lights went out. The only ones left on were directly over their patient. Then scanner came to life again.

It only lasted a minute or so before the lights came back up. For once it wasn't McKay's superbrain that came up with the answer, but rather a quiet suggestion from a nurse. "Could it be the city is trying to tell us something?"

"Well, of course, it is," Rodney answered back sarcastically.

Carson tut-tutted. "Now, now, Rodney. Don't you get upsetting our staff."

The quiet nurse had stepped forward to glare at McKay. She was no great fan of his. However, she could stand up to him just fine. "It was just a suggestion, Doctor, but I think I know what she wants us to do. I believe she wants us to scan the Colonel again."

"Yes, yes that's quite obvious."

By this time, Jennifer felt like hitting her husband. She hated it when he got like this. "For God's sake, Rodney. Shut up. Is it possible there was more than one fragment causing the trouble? After all, I find it hard to believe that such a small thing could rob someone's mind. But combined?"

Rodney just nodded, feeling a little ashamed of his outburst. But all he wanted to do was leave as seeing John like this was proving very difficult indeed. However, he knew he couldn't go right now, so with Jennifer and Carson by his side, he watched the monitor as the scanner was used once again. What he saw made his blood run cold. He guessed everyone else felt the same.

Carson rubbed his head and cursed. "Oh, bloody hell."

Jennifer was all business. "Well, we did it for the heart fragment, so we'll do it for the others. Rodney set up the beaming device again and let's get those fragments out of him, as soon as possible."

"But, but one of them's awfully close to his brain."

"That's why we're going to do that one first," Jennifer ordered her husband.

"I could take his brain out."

Carson looked at him and shook his head. "Don't be silly, ya daft bugger. You didn't remove his heart so why should you have a problem."

"I suppose not." In his nervous state, Rodney then tried to joke. "I just don't want to make Sheppard dumber than he already is by beaming out too many brain cells."

Carson rolled his eyes. "Aye, that would be very bad." Although, Carson knew darn well that John Sheppard was one very bright spark. He wouldn't be in command otherwise.

It was tricky and Rodney's hand shook for most of the time, but after about thirty minutes they had the other fragments safely removed. Then came another scan and everyone sighed with relief when nothing showed up. Little did they know how much of a helping hand they'd had from Atlantis, not only with the scanner but also recongising the crystal's energy signiture so McKay could safely beam the fragments away.

"Well, that's it, people. Let's hope the Colonel is truly in the clear now." Carson announced.

There was agreement all around and Rodney sighed as he could finally leave. He never wanted to see an operation again, and he would make sure Sheppard was eternally grateful.

Jennifer decided to go with him so she could explain things to Teyla. They walked out together after cleaning up. Rodney had a huge smile on his face. Jennifer didn't say anything because Rodney didn't realise that the hard part was still to come. The team needed to restart the Colonel's heart if it didn't start on its own. Although, Jennifer was pretty confident that it would.

The O.R. was a hive of activity as everyone prepared equipment and drugs in order to take John off the bypass machine once his heart had started beating again. After finishing up, they would need to do a brain scan, which Carson was almost afraid of. Regardless, it was something they would eventually have to carry out.

Carson watched as Dr Cole switched the pump off, thereby restoring normal blood flow to John's heart. As the minutes ticked by, Carson tried not to panic. He had to keep his cool and act like the professional that he was. Yet it was hard to do knowing that the life of a dear friend was in his hands, yet again. He well remembered the time in the back of a Puddle Jumper when he'd had to restart Sheppard's heart after the Iratus Bug on his neck incident. It had been touch and go that time. Carson sincerely hoped it wouldn't be this time around. Of course, those were the original Carson's memories and not his.

Marie's voice broke through his retrospect. "We're ready doctor."

Carson nodded as it looked like he would have to start John's heart with an electrical shock. He quickly grabbed the paddles and held then over the still heart. Because John's chest cavity was open, he would apply them directly. However, before he could do that, John's heart suddenly started beating on its own.

"He's with us!" Marie called unnecessarily. "B.P. 85 over 50 and rising."

The doctors exchanged a relieved look. "Well, that took time," Julia commented.

"Aye, it certainly did. The main thing, his heart is now beating normally. I'll finish up here and then we'll have to do a brain scan."

"He wasn't starved of oxygen." Julia reminded him. "And despite what Dr McKay said, I believe his brain should still be intact.

Carson had already begun to finish up. "That's Rodney for you. The Colonel wasn't starved of oxygen, but I'm kind of afraid his mind may have become trapped within a crystal fragment. If that's the case, I have no idea what we could do to get him back."

Julia was puzzled, although her surgical face mask hid the expression from the others, apart from her eyes. "How's that possible?"

"Here in Pegasus, anything's possible, love. Apparently some years back they came across a crystal-like entity that somehow got into people's dreams. It caused a whole lot of trouble and the death of a dear colleague of mine."

"So you're saying it's quite dangerous here? And I think I have just witnessed some of it."

Carson suddenly realised that he'd probably just put her off ever considering a position on Atlantis. That would be a shame as she would have fitted in very nicely. Then there were his growing personal feelings for her. "Och, love, where is it truly safe? Even on Earth, they face dangers on a daily basis from one source or another. Considering the dangers we've faced since arriving, we haven't done too badly. I won't deny that we've lost quite a few people, but it could have been far worse. And you shouldn't take this fella on the table as an example. His job is darn right dangerous at times. Thankfully, he continues to be a survivor. I just hope and pray he doesn't prove me wrong this time around. Some of the things he and his team have gone through would turn your hair white."

Julia smiled behind her mask. "That bad? Then let's hope he is okay and doesn't cause us any more problems."

"Aye, I'll second that. Right, let's get him sewn up."

It took about another half an hour for Carson and his team to finish up. Then came, the all-important brain scan. Carson held his breath and his fingers crossed as Dr Cole attached electrodes to John's head. Switching on the machine they waited for the EEG results that should show some brain activity even though he was currently unconscious.

Smiles and relief were exchanged by the staff as the monitor showed a normal EEG for someone under an anaesthetic.

Carson quietly sighed. "Thank goodness for that. Right then, let's get him into recovery. Then I'm sure there are some very anxious people waiting to be reassured."

Carson found Teyla, Ronon, Rodney, Jennifer and Colonel Lorne all waiting for news. After reassuring them that everything should now be fine, they all gave each other a much-needed hug.

After seeing John just to reassure herself, Teyla had gone back to her quarters with Ronon and Amelia. For the first time since John's return, she felt positive that things would get back to normal. Knowing that Ronon and Amelia were sleeping on the couch to make sure the children didn't disturb her too early, she actually managed to fall asleep immediately.

oOo

Trumble was at a loss. He'd been told to stay in his quarters by Woolsey, but how could he get to Sheppard if he did? He'd had food brought to him earlier, so hadn't had the opportunity to leave. Now he was determined to do so.

It was in the middle of the night already, meaning the area should be very quiet. When he tried the door, it swished open easily much to his relief. Trumble looked around, there didn't seem to be anyone in the corridor leading from his guest quarters. He half expected a guard. As it was so late, the infirmary night staff should be the only ones on duty. He would go to the infirmary's drug storage section and obtain something to kill his nemesis off once and for all. It wouldn't matter if he was caught now as he knew his plans for command and possible riches was well and truly over.

In his sick mind, he just wanted to be rid of Sheppard. It had become an obsession of his.

As he neared the infirmary, his luck ran out as the main entry was still being guarded. However, he hadn't wasted the time since arriving back from that damn planet. During the plentiful spare time he'd had, he had studied the layout of the infirmary and its adjoining corridors. Now he headed for a lesser used side entry. It seemed all clear. Smiling to himself, he stepped through the door and was just about to slip into the small room beyond when he came face to face with another guard.

The man saluted. "I'm sorry, sir, but the infirmary is out of bounds to any who isn't sick. I kindly ask you to step back and return to your quarters, please."

Thinking quickly, Trumble said. "Oh, but I don't feel so good. So what do I have to do to see a doctor around here?"

The guard thought the old man looked perfectly okay if not a little flushed in the face. Unfortunately, he didn't really know what to do with the man. If he was really ill and something happened to the General, then he could be in serious trouble. On the other hand, Colonel Lorne had requested that under no circumstances was Trumble to be allowed into the main infirmary. The guard knew for a fact that Colonel Sheppard was currently in the recovery room after an emergency operation. He didn't know the full details. He also knew that another guard had been posted outside the recovery room. So making a decision, he said."Please wait right here, sir. I'll see to it that a doctor comes to check you out."

Trumble had no choice, but to comply. He watched as the guard headed further into the infirmary. Slipping off the chair he had plonked his tired body onto, he tip-toed behind the man, keeping a good distance.

So far so good until a high pitched voice called from behind him. "Can I be of assistance?"

The guard heard it too. He doubled back, this time showing his annoyance. "Sir, I asked you to remain in the outer section until a doctor came to you."

The bubbly woman who had called out to him suddenly spoke up. "Well, you've found a doctor. I'm not exactly a practising doctor being a pathologist and all, but we're rather short staff at the present time due to an emergency. And it is in the middle of the night so you'll have to make do with me. I'm Doctor Biro by the way. What is the nature of your problem?"

 _My problem is interfering bitches like you._ But instead of voicing that opinion, Trumble forced a false smile on his face and said. "I felt a little light headed when I got up to go to the bathroom."

"I see. This isn't a good place to do an assessment, so why don't we go back to the outer room where we keep some essential equipment. Do you have a problem with your blood pressure?" Before he could answer, Biro rambled on. "We'll check it anyway and get some blood, then we can see what your problem might be."

"I don't need a damn blood test, woman! I've had enough of those since arriving in the dreadful city. Oh, forget it, I feel much better now anyway!" With that Trumble marched back the way he had come. He would return to his quarters for now. He still had every intention of getting to Sheppard, no matter what.

Shaking his head, the guard watched him go. He would report the incident to Colonel Lorne as soon as possible. "Thanks, Doctor Biro. He really is an awful man."

"Absolutely dreadful. He reminded me of some overbearing politicians and business tycoons with delusions of self-importance and ego's bigger than their bal…brains. There was nothing wrong with him. I'm sure about that, so what exactly did he want in the infirmary?"

"I was told to stop him from going anywhere near the Colonel."

Biro smiled. "Then we'll have to make sure he doesn't. Oh, and by the way, the Colonel is doing much better now and will make a full recovery."

The guard nodded his thanks. That was certainly one piece of good news.

TBC

 _Author's Note:- Well at least John should be on the road to recovery at long last._


	34. Chapter 34

Deadly Intent 34

Teyla woke to soft, morning sunlight drifting through the window drapes. She glanced at the bedside clock and noted it was fairly late already. She really should get up and see to the children before returning to the infirmary. Carson had told her last night that John should regain consciousness sometime this morning. Naturally she wanted to be with him. Although knowing John, he would feel sick for a while as he never reacted too well to a general anaesthetic. There again who did? All Teyla really wanted, was to see John's lovely eyes focus on her and not the empty stare of the last day or so.

She was about to rise when the door clicked open and the waft of pancakes drifted up her nose. A little dark-haired head popped around the door frame and a big grin spread across his face. Torren turned back to someone behind him and announced. "Momma's awake!"

Then the door fully opened and Amelia came in carrying a tray with some breakfast. "We thought you'd like to eat before going back to the infirmary. You know to keep your strength up."

Torren and Beth had already joined their mother on the bed for their usual morning cuddle. Teyla took the tray and thanked her friend. Amelia quietly left, closing the door behind her.

"What have we got here then?"

"Pancakes and fruits, momma." Torren declared. "We already had some."

Teyla was a little worried as Beth seemed unusually quiet, "Are you all right, Beth?"

"I wanna see daddy," she whispered.

Teyla popped a piece of pancake in her mouth and pulled her close. "We will have to wait and see what Uncle Carson says. Daddy had to have a big operation yesterday evening, so we do not know how he will be until he wakes up."

"Why?"

"Why what, Beth."

"Why the op-ration?"

Torren laughed and corrected her. "Operation."

Teyla looked sternly at her son. "Torren you do not always pronounce your words correctly, so please do not make fun of your sister." She turned back to address Beth. "Remember I told you about the crystal." Beth nodded as did Torren. Teyla then went on to tell the children all about their daddy's problem with things that were much, much smaller than their fingernails.

oOo

John opened his eyes expecting to see pitch black and was very bewildered by what he did perceive. High above his head there appeared to be nothing other than a vast expanse of greenish paintwork. He knew he was lying on his back, yet it didn't feel cold or hard beneath him. So he wasn't back in the cave or near the large lake. Generally he didn't feel much of anything at the moment other than some pain in his chest and increasing nausea in his stomach. His chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it. Then he vaguely registered the rhythmic sound of a monitoring machine somewhere nearby. When his thoughts finally clicked into place, he decided there was only one place he was likely to be. Atlantis. He was home, although he couldn't recall how that came about. Now that he realized that fact, John decided he was now feeling far too queasy to think about it. Thankfully someone was there to help him.

Nurse Jennings wiped her patient's mouth and pressed the call button to summon a doctor. Jennifer Keller arrived a few minutes later.

"He regained consciousness for a short while. Was a little sick before going back under again." The nurse reported.

"Did he seem coherent?"

Pam Jennings nodded. "I would definitely say his thought processes are back, although he did seem a little…confused."

"That's probably to be expected." Jennifer answered as she checked a few vitals and carefully listened to his heart. Satisfied, she turned back to the nurse. "Keep monitoring and let a doctor know the minute he wakes up again. Although right now, sleep is the best medicine as he has a lot of recovering to do."

John's next journey to the land of the living was somewhat easier. He knew he had drifted in and out of sleep for quite a long time, not really waking properly. Now he felt like opening his eyes to take in his surroundings. He was greeted by the beautiful face of his love.

Teyla clutched his hand as tears to roll down her face. His eyes were no longer empty and they held the promised of a full recovery. She thanked the Ancestors that he had been returned to her. She had every right to be angry with him though, but she was just too grateful to have him back. It took her a moment to compose her voice. "Once again, you have given us much concerned."

Making an effort to hold back his own emotions, John blinked at her and murmured. "Sorry."

All thoughts of being annoyed with him evaporated as it was clear John had suffered greatly. Teyla ran her hand over his cheek to ease his anguish. "I believe you would say that you did not intend for any of this to happen. When you are feeling a little more awake we will talk things over."

John tried to perk up a little. "I'm okay. I want to know exactly…what…what happened?"

Knowing John would not rest until he had some answers, Teyla turned to the person who had just entered ICU area. "Is it all right for him to sit up, Carson?"

Carson moved into John's line of vision. "Aye, I don't see why not. It's good to see you're finally awake, John. If you feel any really bad pain when I help you sit up a little, you must let me know immediately."

John nodded as Carson slowly raised the head of the bed. John sank back onto his soft pillows, grateful for the sip of water Carson had just given him. Being propped up just a little helped to ease his chest.

He cleared his throat before murmuring. "Don't remember much after getting out of that seemingly never-ending cave. The Wraith had me towards the end. I remember being dragged by him. Then things got really muddled. I vaguely remember an incredible brightness. I think the Wraith dragged me over to a large body of water. Something killed him. Took his head clean off. That memory is oh so…so clear. Then I…," John brought his hand up to rub his aching forehead. "I...I just don't recall anything after that. Obviously, I got rescued."

"Aye that you did." Carson could see John's continuing confusion, so he described what he knew about the crystal. How some extremely small fragments had entered his bloodstream and closed off his mind to the world around him. About Rodney and his use of a beaming-device to remove the fragments. Teyla then told him about Beth's experience. However, John could no longer remember being locked in a world of nothing but a lilac sea and endless surfing.

By the end of the explanation, John was totally exhausted and more than ready to drift off to sleep again. However before he let sleep take him, he had something very important to tell them. Something he clearly remembered before the nightmare began. "That drop-off, I didn't fall because I was carelessness. I was pushed."

"We know, John. And when you are stronger, we will deal with it." Teyla reassured him. As sleep claimed him, John was pretty sure that they would.

Teyla looked at Carson and whispered. "He does not seem to recall the crystal's influence."

"Aye, but that's probably a good thing. Will you be staying for a while, love?"

"For a little while longer, then I must return to the children. They will be very pleased that their father is making good progress. No doubt, Ronon will be along soon."

Carson smiled at her. "Aye, John's doing much better now. I'm sure he'll be back to his cheeky self in no time at all."

oOo

In the following days it didn't matter how hard Trumble tried, he just couldn't get anywhere near the infirmary. A guard was now posted permanently before his door. Whenever he'd tried to leave, he'd been threatened. He had given it back stating that once this matter was over, the guards responsible would find themselves court-marshalled. The guards ignored his threats completely, stating that the orders to confine him had come directly from Stargate Command. Yet, no one of higher authority on Atlantis had spoken to him for days.

His other problem was Corporal Carpenter. Having plenty of time on his hands had given Trumble a chance to think of many ways he could get to the young man and silence him. Although realistically, he knew none of them would work.

Of course, Sheppard was still his main target. That was the main reason why Trumble was willing to bide his time until the right opportunity arose. His obsession with Sheppard had become so intense that he was prepared to risk everything to get to him.

Had that stupid marine already talked about his involvement in Sheppard's fall? Maybe Carpenter had, then again maybe he hadn't. The fact that he hadn't been questioned about it seemed to indicate that Carpenter hadn't talked. Then again, Sheppard must have also remained silent.

Feeling smug in that knowledge, Trumble settled down for yet another afternoon of doing nothing other than studying the layout of the dreadful city base.

oOo

Up in the infirmary, the children had just been to visit their daddy for the first time. Tears and cuddles had been exchanged all around. The children had jumped for joy at seeing their daddy back to normal. The noise level had been pretty high until Teyla had reminded them that their daddy still needed his peace if he was going to get rid of his boo-boos. Not that daddy's injuries were as slight as a grazed knee or elbow. They hadn't stay too long and with a promise that they could visit again soon, Teyla had ushered the children away for their lessons leaving John to rest for a while before Richard Woolsey and Colonel Lorne came to visit.

It seemed he hadn't dozed for very long when Evan Lorne walked in. This was Lorne's first visit to see the Colonel since he'd rescued him. Evan was extremely glad to see the life back in his C.O's eyes. "How ya doing, sir?"

"Less of the sir, Evan. We're not on duty here. I'm doing better thanks. The elephant on my chest finally decided to move off making it a lot less painful to breathe."

Evan smiled. "That's good to hear."

"Yeah." John looked earnestly at his XO. "I want to thank you for coming after me. From what Rodney said, it was a hair-raising experience. What between the sea monsters and that crystal cave's influence."

Evan grabbed a chair and sat down. "Yep, I've never seen anything like that before, and I've been to plenty of planets both here and in the Milky Way. It was truly beautiful but…totally mind zapping. As for the sea creatures, imagine a cross between the Loch Ness monster and some of the huge dinosaurs that used to roam Earth, like a T-Rex. Then multiply that by six. Well, at least one was that big. I'm telling you that makes one hell of a large and extremely dangerous critter. We just about managed to avoid it."

John gulped hard and nodded. "I think the Wraith would have agreed with you if he'd seen it coming. For a second there, I thought I was going to be its next happy meal. Don't remember anything after that. Did you say there was more than one of them?"

Evan nodded. He was just about to say more when Richard Woolsey entered the room. Things got a little more serious after that. "Ah Colonel, it's good to see you alert and sitting up. How are you feeling today?"

"Better than yesterday. I just wish my feet didn't hurt so much. The docs say they should heal fairly quickly as long as I don't try walking on them too early. So I guess it will have to be a wheelchair for a few weeks." John was no great fan of them, but he knew this time around it would be necessary if he ever wanted to leave the infirmary.

Woolsey smiled and sat down near Lorne. "How in heavens name did you come to lose your boots anyway?" Evan perked up at that as he also wanted to know.

John was thoughtful for a moment. Deep down he knew how lucky he'd been to survive the turbulent torrent of the underground river. "When I first landed in the water it was a lot deeper and faster flowing than it was later. Ronon told me that was due to some heavy rainstorm that passed over the area at that time. If it hadn't been for that…well…let's just say, I wouldn't be lying here right now. The river swept me along for quite a stretch. It was a struggle and extremely difficult to stay afloat. I'd already lost my P 90 and handgun, but knew I had to shed something more if I wanted a chance at survival. It was either my TAC vest or the boots. The vest had life-saving items in it and was slightly more buoyant, so the boots had to go. Unfortunately, I also lost my socks when I managed to toe the boots off. I had no idea I would end up having to walk over very rough and painfully sharp stones later. Regretted losing them, but the flashlight, field dressing and other stuff in my TAC vest probably saved my life."

Lorne thought about for a minute. "Yeah as bad as losing them was, it was the better choice." Although when he thought about it, he didn't know how the heck Sheppard had managed to get them off while in a torrent of water. He knew the Colonel usually kept them fairly loosely tired at the top, so maybe he really had managed to force them off with his feet. Hence losing the socks.

They were silent for a while, each considering the risks they took being in Pegasus. Of course, Richard Woolsey hadn't had quite so many close calls as Sheppard and his team. Lorne was somewhere in between, as his team managed to stay out of trouble a little more than Sheppard's.

Richard eventually cleared his throat and said. "Stargate Command would like a full report of your experience when you're feeling up to it. They're especially interested in your belief that either Trumble or Carpenter deliberately pushed you over the edge."

John chewed on his lower lip. "I'll write what I can recall. As for who pushed me that's going to be difficult to prove. I know I was pushed, but it will be their word against mine."

Richard smiled. "Well, Carpenter has already implicated Trumble. He said he's willing to testify if we drop the smuggling charges against him."

John stared open-mouthed at Woolsey. "Smuggling?"

Woolsey suddenly realised that Sheppard wouldn't know anything about the diamond business as he hadn't been told yet. In fact, very few people knew about it. So Woolsey settled down to tell the Colonel all about their findings with some input from Lorne.

"Wow, that's a serious business. So Trumble's in trouble anyway?"

"He most certainly is," Woolsey looked John in the eye. "I also want to bring him down for attempted murder, but at the moment I have no idea how are we going to prove it?"

John shrugged, but then Lorne mentioned Trumble's attempts to get into the infirmary, no doubt to silence him. A smile slowly began to spread across John's face. "Then we need to lay a trap."

Woolsey and Lorne shared a surprised look. "That's not going to be so easy, Colonel. He already knows we're on to him because we've had him confined to quarters with a guard posted outside."

"Yeah, I guess that would have tipped him off a little. Let's face it he probably didn't expect me to survive. Now that I have he's faced with the prospect that I'll know someone pushed me. Does he know about Carpenter's claim?"

Lorne answered that one. "No, we made sure he didn't. He thinks the Corporal is in custody because of the diamond business."

John was silent for quite a few minutes. He closed his eyes, making his visitors wonder if he was still awake. Then he slowly opened them, and a small grin spread across his face. "Okay, this is how we're going to play it out." He went on then to explain his plan.

When Rodney, Teyla and Ronon came to visit him later, John filled them in on his plan. Rodney called it foolhardy. He reminded John for the umpteenth time how he had saved his life with the beaming device and not to throw it away by putting his life on the line once again. Also that it had been truly awful for him seeing all of John's innards on display and he never wanted to see that again. John kind of ignored him, saying that he wouldn't.

On the other hand, Teyla and Ronon thought it could actually work as long as everyone played their part. Although Teyla wasn't too happy about it, when it came down to it, they had no intention of letting Trumble get away with what he did. They would be ready to proceed with the plan the very next day.

TBC


	35. Chapter 35

Deadly Intent 35

Early the next morning a couple of SO's entered the brig area and released Corporal Carpenter from his confinement. They never said where they were going only that he was to come with them. Carpenter was somewhat concerned and confused until they escorted him all the way to the infirmary. After keeping him just beyond the main entry for a few minutes, the guards eventually took him further in.

John had been transferred from the ICU to the main infirmary section the evening before. Where his bed was now situated was still secluded enough to give him plenty of privacy, especially as no other patients currently shared the area at the moment. The guards brought young corporal to a stop before the Colonel's bed and retreated.

Carpenter quickly came to attention and saluted. This he had not expected. "Sir! I'm happy to know you survived, sir!"

"Yeah, just about." John hated formalities. Although in this case, he intended to keep the Corporal standing at attention before him. "I understand you want a pardon in exchange for a testimony against General Trumble?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's highly irregular. However…if you help bring Trumble down, we will keep you here on Atlantis and give you a second chance. Oh, and before you say anything, I know all about your connection to Colonel Sumner."

Carpenter looked somewhat shocked, to say the least. "I…I didn't realise that, sir. I will admit I came here to seek some form of revenge. Then doubts began to surface after hearing others describe a Wraith feeding. And now after what I've just been through, I can fully understand the position you were in. I think I would have done the same if I'd had the courage."

John sighed and nodded. "I'm kind of relieved to hear that. It reassures me that I made the right decision in allowing you to come to Atlantis. The person who told me about your connection warned me that I was taking a risk. Anyway, at least now you realise what your uncle had been up against all those years ago. At the time we went in totally unprepared, but the situation was desperate. I admit I was very naïve about the Wraith back then. If I had known about their life returning capabilities I could have forced the Queen to give back your Uncle's life, especially as she had recently fed on some poor Athosian." John paused for a moment as he thought about the large Wraith Commander who had captured him back then. After a moment, he murmured, "If I could have gotten anywhere near her before Lieutenant Ford arrived. Once he arrived, I was able to…well. I didn't realise at the time that killing the Queen or caretaker as she called herself would wake the entire Wraith population. At the time I just wanted retribution for your uncle's suffering."

John paused again as he thought about Trumble's recent actions. "You know, what I can't comprehend is why Trumble did what he did after I'd saved him and forced the Wraith to give back his life. If I'd had any idea of his intentions, I would have been inclined to leave him as a withered old man. Well, I certainly wouldn't have gone so close to the edge for sure." Switching tracks slightly, John asked. "Why didn't you report his action at the time?"

"He pulled rank on me and threatened my family, sir. He has powerful friends in Washington or so he led me to believe." Carpenter lowered his head and whispered. "He also knew my mother wanted you punished."

John was surprised by that. "Well, she nearly got her wish." He pondered for a moment. When he thought about it, Carpenter's family shouldn't have even known he'd been involved in Sumner's death. "How come your family knew about it anyway? I'm pretty sure Stargate Command wouldn't have disclosed all the details concerning his death."

"No, sir, they didn't. In fact, it only came to light about a year or so ago. I somehow received a copy of a bogus mission report detailing my uncle's death, however it mentioned nothing about the Stargate or the Wraith. Only that you'd shot him during a mission in Afghanistan. General Trumble contacted my mother about the same time. He must have told her the same made-up story about your direct involvement. Then I guess he may have promised her some form of revenge. Naturally, she told me. I don't think she told the rest of the family though. At least, I think so. I'm sure she didn't know anything about the Stargate program or Atlantis as she never said anything to me about it. But she certainly knew you were the one to put a bullet in her brother, and she strongly believed it was a deliberate act. When I think about it, not long after that I was chosen for the Stargate program and then onto Atlantis. All very convenient I would say."

"Did Trumble ever approach you directly about getting rid of me?"

"No, sir, but I think he expected me to take some form of action. I guess when nothing happened he decided to come to Atlantis and try for himself or at least bring you down career-wise."

John slowly nodded at that. "I knew Trumble had a problem with me. I never dreamt for a minute that he would go as far as murder."

"I think the General isn't of sound mind, sir."

John looked up at the Corporal. "We had noticed that and Mr Woolsey was going to get him to see Doctor Robinson. I'm guessing he hasn't been to see her. Despite the fact he may be crazy, he needs to be stopped as I'm sure he will try to silence me somehow and he could also come after you. So now we have to somehow prove that he pushed me off the edge. If Trumble contacts you, I want you to explain that all charges of trying to take diamonds back to Earth have been dropped due to lack of evidence. By now, he'll have been told the same thing by Mr Woolsey."

"That's all I need to do, sir?"

"Basically, yes. Trumble is also going to be told that I've got amnesia but that I'm starting to remember certain details. Also that the doctors are pretty confident my memory will come back in a day or so. With a bit of luck, he'll start to panic and decide to renew his attempt at getting to me. I don't want you to mention that you've already given your account and implicated him. If he threatens you, then tell him that you've written a full statement which you've hidden in a safe location that only your closest friend knows about. Trumble is highly unlikely to know who that friend is. Even I don't know which of your pals you would confide in."

"There's several, sir." Carpenter looked thoughtful. "I think it's a good idea to do a report anyway. You know just in case the General gets nasty. Do you think he really will come after you again, sir?"

"A sane person wouldn't attempt such an obvious move, but as you pointed out, the General isn't sane. So I'm counting on it. If he takes the bait, then we will have all the evidence we need." Carpenter nodded his approval. "Trumble will take a fall anyway because we do have enough evidence to convict him over the diamonds business. Both Finnegan and Selkirk have talked."

"Private Selkirk is okay?"

"I wouldn't call him okay, but Doc Robinson is hopeful. She's managed to get him talking and thinks he's now suffering from an extremely bad case of PTSD. His career is probably over. He'll be transferred back to earth once the Daedalus arrives, as he should have been weeks ago."

John dismissed the Corporal after that. All the talking had made him a little drowsy. He patted his pillow to check that the gun he had was still in place. Ronon had brought it to him a while back as extra security. He knew his friend wasn't far off, keeping an eye on things while keeping a low profile. The guards were still stationed at the entries, but they had orders to let the General through if he insisted. The infirmary staff had all been told not to confront Trumble and to let him pass. Lastly, Rodney had set up surveillance throughout the infirmary, so every corner was covered. But there again Trumble was unlikely to strike during the day.

With this in mind, John finally allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

oOo

Trumble stormed into the mess for his mid-morning cup of coffee. Grabbing a cup, he sat down on an unoccupied table far enough away from anyone else. Not that anyone wanted his company anyway. His mood was foul, although it should have been the opposite because now he was free to come and go as he pleased. He sincerely hoped that included the infirmary. The bad mood had been brought on by the fact that in his mind he honestly thought he had every right to those diamonds. He didn't even consider it a crime. Now it looked like he would have to leave the fortune behind unless an opportunity presented itself. Maybe he could find out where they were being stashed and take them back.

A smirk crossed his face when he realised he could now act upon his revenge without interference. Sheppard needed to be silenced before the oaf remembered being pushed by someone. Trumble had every intention of doing that as quickly as possible. During the night would still be his best bet. His time in confinement hadn't been wasted as he now knew the infirmary like the back of his hand. After Sheppard was disposed of from natural causes, of course, Trumble intended to go after Carpenter and silence him too as he wasn't so sure the idiot wouldn't talk. He'd have to make that one look like an accident, too.

Little did Trumble know, but Doctor Robinson was currently sitting across the mess, quietly observing him and taking notes. If she could have read his mind, Claire would have been extremely concerned by his malicious behaviour and homicidal intent. It seemed that Trumble had lost whatever moral judgement he may have possessed in the past. He was now totally obsessed with doing away with not only Sheppard but the young corporal too. His fixation, however, was also making him careless. The General had failed to notice that he was being closely observed, not only by Claire Robinson but several other people sitting around the mess. That included a very pissed off Ronon Dex, mainly because he couldn't take action yet.

oOo

For John, the day passed very slowly indeed. He slept a fair amount and for once did as he was told. The nurses changed his dressings and Carson announced that his feet were showing some signs of healing. As were his other wounds. They talked a bit about the fall that may have caused the crystal splinter to enter into his bloodstream. John remembered it only too well as the graze had been extremely painful at the time. They also talked about the fact that his leg hadn't broken again. Carson couldn't understand it as he reckoned impacting the water should have shattered the newly healed bone. John had explained about the weird up draught and how it had slowed his velocity so when he'd entered the water it hadn't been so hard. Carson knew about it as the combat engineers had reported it, but as yet they hadn't an explanation. To find out for sure would mean a trip back to the planet. Mr Woolsey had strictly forbidden that.

The children came by for another visit in the late afternoon. John had been able to interact with them on a much better scale. He'd even read them a story as they lay quietly by his side. Teyla took them home an hour later for their evening meal. That left John with a very boring evening. He dozed some, read a bit, watched a movie on his tablet and had a few visitors. Despite that, the clock still went painfully slow.

Carson came to see him around 22.00 hours. John asked the inevitable question. "When am I going to be able to get out of here?"

The Scottish doctor rolled his eyes and looked at him before slowly shaking his head. "You never cease to amaze me, John. You've been here, what all of six days, and you're already asking to be set free." Carson relented a little. "Okay then, if things carry on improving like they are, I think we could release you into your families loving care in a day or so."

John gave a relieved sigh. "Not until that bastard strikes though. I don't want the family endangered because of him."

"Aye…well, then we'll have to wait and see what happens. Now, are you all set for the night?"

John patted the area behind his head. "Yep."

"Now, don't you get trying to stay awake the whole night waiting for him to strike. I still don't like the idea, but I suppose it's the only way to get him." Carson patted John on his shoulder. "Just be careful and no trying to get out of bed."

John couldn't promise that as moving may be necessary in order to save his life. The general may be older, but the man was still strong and reasonably fit. At the moment, John still felt a little like someone had zapped all his energy. So he had no idea how he would fare if it came to a struggle. Hopefully, that wouldn't happen as the cavalry should come to his aid quickly enough. He settled down into his pillow and despite things whirling around in his head and the lights still being fully on, John slowly began to drift off.

A nurse checked a while later to see her patient sound asleep. Not thinking, she turned the lights lower until only dim shadows could be seen. Radek who was monitoring the surveillance equipment for the infirmary cursed a little as it was now hard to make anything out. As he couldn't very well leave his post to report it, he would have to send a message up to control. However, before Radek could act, the lights came up by themselves just enough for him to see the area more clearly. For a moment Radek wondered how that was possible. Then a small smile spread across his face. He knew the Colonel had a certain control over the lights, so maybe subconsciously he had made the room just a little brighter even in his sleep.

What he didn't realize, it was Atlantis protecting her favourite one.

oOo

Trumble woke with a start and looked at his watch. The dial showed that he had slept longer than intended. No matter there was still plenty of time to act before sunrise and the day shift begun. He quickly rose and dressed into dark slacks, pullover and soft black loafers. Leaving his quarters ten minutes later, he moved towards the infirmary being as quiet as he could. In his waistband, he carried a sheathed combat knife, which he had brought with him from Earth. Thankfully, he had completely forgotten to take his favourite knife with him on that fateful off-world trip otherwise he would have lost it to the unruly band of brutal humans. Even though Lorne had found their processions, he had not returned anything to date. The knife could certainly come in handy should his other plan go astray. He would have preferred a gun, but he couldn't very well march into the armoury and demand one. He couldn't steal one either as they were kept in a safe area behind a coded door. No doubt quite a few people knew the code, but they would all be loyal to Sheppard. Anyway if possible, he wanted Sheppard's death to look completely natural.

The corridors were thankfully empty. There again it was only 04.00 hours. If he encountered anyone, he intended to tell them that he couldn't sleep and was going for a walk. Trumble saw a lone guard on duty as he neared the infirmary entry he wanted. However, the man wasn't paying attention. In fact, as Trumble watched from behind one of the bubbling light columns, the guard simply walked away, presumably to take a leak or something. It gave Trumble the opportunity to slip into the area beyond. Smiling at his good fortune, he started to look for the room he wanted. For once, he was very grateful for Sheppard's sloppy command style that allowed for such incompetence. That would change once he was in charge.

Because he had studied the layout so well, he quickly located the pharmaceutical storage area. He had a good idea which drug he would take as he wanted Sheppard to suffer and no chance that they could reverse the effects. Of course, that drug may very well be kept under lock and key, possibly in a glass cabinet and hopefully not a metal one. He would just have to wait and see. If it was simply glass then it wouldn't take much to cut his way through, assuming the cabinet wasn't alarmed.

The room was dark when he entered so after making sure the door was closed, he swiped his hand over the control, bringing the lights up. Then he started a systematic search in all the glass cabinets. Cursing when the drug he wanted failed to turn up. Something else caught his eye though. If he could administer a massive dose of morphine intravenously and make sure no one came to Sheppard's aid too quickly, then the man would most certainly die. Trumble never even considered the possibility that an autopsy would reveal the cause of death quite quickly.

Trumble quickly forced the door open with his knife and removed several vials, plus a hypodermic syringe. If possible he would inject the drug directly into an I.V feed. Otherwise, he would inject it into Sheppard's body somehow. Either way, he had every intention of getting the massive dose into the devil's spawn, whatever it took.

Radek's eyes were growing weary from staring at the monitors for too long. Thankfully, Colonel Lorne was due to do a short stint any minute now and then Radek planned to go back to his quarters to curl up in his bed for at least six hours. It was now 04:25 and would be light soon, so it seemed that despite the open invitation, the horrid General hadn't taken the bait. Logically everyone had expected him to strike during the hours of darkness but it seemed the man wasn't predictable.

Five minutes later, Lorne entered the room right on time and Radek gratefully rose from his chair. They exchanged a few pleasantries and Radek talked about the uneventful night he'd. He also mentioned that Ronon had fallen asleep on the chair he was using in his secluded location. Baring a few breaks to eat the big Satedan had spent over forty hours now constantly guarding his team-mate. Lorne smiled as it seemed even Ronon had his limitations.

In that short time, they missed seeing Trumble making his way towards Sheppard's bed.

TBC

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 _Thanks once again for all the reviews etc.. Two more chapters to go._


	36. Chapter 36

Deadly Intent 36

Something repugnant wafted over him. It smelt awfully like cheap aftershave. That didn't seem to be right though. _The infirmary staff had better taste than that_. John cracked open his eyes to see a shadowy figure standing over his bed by the I.V pole. It certainly wouldn't be a nurse or a doctor, which meant only one thing. _Trumble._ The man seemed to be fumbling with his I.V line, but that was something John had half anticipated. Although, he had no idea what the General was trying to inject.

Keeping perfectly still, John waited until Trumble had moved away before thinking the lights up very high. Caught like a deer in the headlights, the General froze and turned to face the bed. He was squinting very badly as he must be having difficulty seeing in the much brighter room. John was also squinting as his own eyes coped with the sudden glare.

Luckily his eyes adjusted quickly. John slowly raised the head of the bed from its near horizontal position as he didn't want to face his foe while lying flat on his back. When he was sitting up enough, John let his gaze focus on his would-be assassin and simply asked. "Why? What have I done to make you try to take my life, not once but twice? All I'm guilty of is disobeying your orders to go rescue Holland and his crew all those years back. Yet you still hold a grudge against me."

Trumble smirked, he could also see just fine now. "I believe my second attempt to end your life should be working anytime now. And in answer to your question, let's just say it's also revenge for your father's destruction of my family. As my father lay dying on his deathbed some years back, I made a solemn promise to him. A promise to bring Patrick Sheppard down. Unfortunately, the bastard went and died on me before I could extract any form of reprisal against him. So I just merely transferred it to one of his sons. One son I knew only too well and could easily get to as I had all the right connections. Your older brother was of little interest to me."

 _Definitely crazy._ "Well, I'm glad you left Dave out of this. What the hell did my father do to make yours so bitter?"

"What did he do? What did he do! You're asking me that?"

John rolled his eyes. "Yes, I am. My father has been gone for over four years now. Before that I hadn't spoken to him for well over six, so how the hell was I supposed to know anything about his business or personal dealings."

Trumble was quiet for a minute as his sick mind tried to do the math. He suddenly stared up at the ceiling and started to recite. "Seven years ago, my dear father Walter J. Trumble decided to invest some money on the stock exchange buying what was supposed to be a good stock in several companies, including your father's utility business. A few years later, the stocks crashed and my father's shares depreciated until nearly all the initial investment was gone." Trumble paused to take a sudden step forward, "All gone because your father embezzled the money in useless takeover bids and bad deals!" Trumble shouted. He made no move closer to John and thankfully after a minute, he actually began calmed down again. "In the end, my family didn't have enough capital to pay for my mother's expensive cancer treatment in Switzerland. She died a horrible death six months later. Poor mummy was only eighty-one. Way too young to die."

John rolled his eyes again and thought. _Too young? She still had a good twelve years on my dad and she lived a hell of a lot longer than my mom._ However, John decided not to voice any of that as he watched an array of emotions flit across Trumble's red and angry face.

As he stared off into nothing yet again, Trumble's mind went over the facts completely forgetting his surroundings for a moment. When he really thought about it, the treatment may not have worked against his mother's aggressive brain tumour. However, his hatred for John Sheppard had driven him in the last years, even to go as far as to manoeuvre his way into the Stargate Program and the I.O.A. He still clearly remembered the day he found out that Sheppard was involved in a top-secret mission. After contacting a very close friend who was a Senator and signing some disclosure agreement, he learnt all about the Stargate and its secrets. Like he had told young Carpenter, he really did have friends in high places. Of course, the fact that the Senator should not have told him never crossed his mind. After months of planning and sweet talking with a couple of I.O.A. members, Trumble knew he could finally see the results and get his revenge against Sheppard. At first, he'd only planned on ruining the man's career. Then after seeing how successful the insolent office had become, and the fact that Trumble now knew he wouldn't be able to remove him from command, he decided death was the only fitting punishment. He had failed at his first attempt, but this time he would succeed.

A rational person may have realised the wrongness in what he was doing. However, Trumble was far from rational. When he eventually spoke again, his eyes were filled with loathing. "Even if you didn't know what your father did, I still want you dead for the humiliation you put me through. I was the best field officer they had out in Afghanistan. Brilliant, a truly smart genius. My men loved me and would do anything under my command. Everyone apart from you! You ridiculed me behind my back, disobeyed my orders on a daily basis. You thought you were the best pilot when that title should have gone to me!" Trumble started to laugh making John's skin crawl. "Now it's all over! Soon you will begin to feel the effects of too much morphine in your system and I can finally watch with a great deal of satisfaction as you slowly die before my eyes!"

John had waited patiently while Trumble rambled on, staring off at nothing for most of the time. He signed and closed his eyes briefly at Trumble's last ridiculous words. The men under his command certainly hadn't loved him. The only ones to kiss his boots had been people who used him for their own gain or career hopes. Opening his eyes again, John vaguely wondered why the cavalry hadn't arrived yet. Although, the whole crazy conversation had probably only taken up a few minutes. They certainly now had the evidence they needed to stop Trumble once and for all. Unfortunately, he would probably be certified as mentally insane. He may not end up in prison at all but rather under medical supervision in a psychiatric hospital. More the pity.

Hoping he wouldn't get a bad reaction from the crazy man, John slowly uncovered the sheet that lay across his arm. "You call yourself a genius? Well your plan would have worked if you'd bothered to check if the I.V. was actually still attached to my arm. As it is, the morphine is still swimming about in the saline solution that Doctor Keller said I no longer need. In fact, I haven't had a transfusion in days. A rational person would have known that. But there you're not thinking straight are you, Trumble."

Trumble's mouth dropped open in total disbelief. John could almost see the steam rising from the top of the General's head as his anger began to escalate out of control. The man could now be truly dangerous and unpredictable, so John prepared for the worst. What he didn't count on was the knife that suddenly appeared in Trumble's hand. John quickly reached behind his head to grab the gun. Unfortunately, the damn thing had slipped down somewhere when he'd raised the bed. John didn't have time to look because he needed to keep his attention on Trumble. The crazed man didn't even seem to notice John's movement as he screamed with rage before suddenly rushing forward with the knife held high, ready to stab with a downward thrust.

John focused his attention solely on the knife knowing he'd have to move quickly to avoid it. Trumble seemed to be aiming for John's exposed upper chest. At the very last moment, John managed to roll just a little to the side and the knife came to rest buried deep in the pillow, awfully close to John's neck. He glanced at it and swallowed hard just before Trumble started pounding him with some powerful punches. John tried to fend him off with his arms but it was difficult lying in bed.

Trumble growled his frustration and swore loudly. He made to grab the pillow from behind John's head and managed to yank it away, forcibly. A smile crossed his face as he now had a perfectly good weapon. John knew it and made to dive out of bed but his action was just a little too slow. The pillow landed across his face and John felt it pushed against his nose.

"Time to die from suffocation you spawn of the devil."

Not only an insult to John but to his father too, and if John could have seen Trumble he would have witnessed the sickly glee of satisfaction on his face. Instead, John was fighting for his life. He ran his hands desperately over the bed looking for anything to get the General off him. Just as his head began to spin from lack of oxygen his hand encountered the hypodermic needle from the discarded I.V. line. John grabbed it and used it to stab out in the direction where he thought Trumble was standing. He heard a satisfactory yelp and the force against the pillow lessened slightly. It was enough to allow John to roll away. He landed with a thud on the floor and gave a cry of his own. _God that hurt._

Trumble quickly recovered enough to come after him again. He moved around to stand directly over his victim. John looked up and nearly burst out laughing. His aim had been pretty good as the I.V. line with the needle still attached dangled from a very sensitive part of the General's anatomy. As it was, Trumble was nearly foaming at the mouth ready to pounce. John knew it wasn't over yet. Luckily he had seen the Wraith stun gun lying just under the bed near his prone body. With painful roll, John hastily grabbed the weapon and fired it before the man could make his next move. Just as Trumble fell to the floor with a bruising thud, Lorne and Ronon rushed to his side. Thankfully the unconscious General hadn't fallen directly on him but it had been near.

"Wow that was close." John murmured.

Lorne looked terribly guilty as he glanced down at his C.O. "Do you need a doctor, sir?"

John slowly shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Just help me back into bed, will ya." Before John could react, Ronon reached down and scoop him up to place him on the bed as Lorne hastily tried to straighten it out a little.

"I'm so sorry, sir. We should have acted quicker, but we needed plenty of evidence and we didn't expect him to be armed with a knife. Don't know where it came from as we had him checked for weapons when he first arrived." Lorne said, hoping he wasn't in serious trouble with the Colonel.

John sighed. "Yeah, I know. If I remember rightly, he made quite a fuss about not being able to carry a gun around the base."

Evan nodded. "Well, we've got what we need now, and it's all on record. My God, he certainly is off his rocker."

Ronon looked at the Evan in confusion, it was the first time he'd heard that one. John smiled up at his friend and team-mate. "It means he's totally insane." John then turned to Evan. "So now that we've got enough proof, it should hopefully have him incarcerated. At least his career will be well and truly over. It's just plain scary what some people will do to extract what they see as revenge against their kin. I guess you heard it all?" Lorne nodded. "I honestly have no idea if my father did what he claims. Somehow I think the whole thing got twisted out of proportion until he used it as an excuse to get to me. Although, I think I'll get Dave to look into it sometime."

Lorne didn't really know how to answer any of that. "At least things can soon get back to normal around here. We'll hold the General in the brig until the Daedalus arrives and then…"

"Caldwell can have him. I'm sure the Colonel will be absolutely delighted." They all laughed a little at that.

By now several SO.'s had arrived after being summoned by Lorne and with Ronon's help, they dragged the General off towards the brig. John couldn't have been happier to see his former C.O. go. He noted how guilty Ronon looked and asked Evan why. The Colonel answered that Ronon had been asleep when the attack came and was feeling very bad about it. John decided he would have to talk to his friend later as even Ronon couldn't be expected to stay awake forever.

A short while later a doctor came to check him over while a nurse took away the contaminated saline solution. It seemed John had been lucky as nothing had reopened, although he'd probably suffer a few bruises from landing on the floor. The nurse also gave him a new pillow so John was able to settle back to sleep before another boring day in the infirmary began. At least now he could finally begin to heal without the worry of Trumble coming after him.

oOo

Three days later, John was still stuck in the infirmary as one of the cuts on his right foot decided to get an infection, probably from its encounter with the floor. So now he was on a heavy dose of antibiotics. Both Carson and Jennifer had refused to release him until it was cleared up, not that he would be back at work anytime soon.

Despite regular visits from family and friends, John was getting thoroughly fed up. He didn't sleep so much anymore, meaning the days seemed eternally long. Right now, he was simply dozing because what else could one do during a visitor less and very boring mid-afternoon period? He guessed everyone else was working. Teyla was home with the children. She had spent most of the morning with him anyway, so he really shouldn't complain.

Lost in self-pity, John didn't notice Carson approach his bed with a huge smile on his face. The doctor coughed to get his attention. For a minute, John actually thought Carson was going to set him free. The doctor's next words killed that idea in an instant. "Well, it looks like we'll be enjoying your miserable company for at least another day or so."

John sighed, "Well, don't look so happy about it, Carson. You look like the Cheshire cat who got the cream. I'm sure your grin ain't nothin' to do with my misfortune."

Carson patted him on the shoulder. "I'm not that cruel, John, but no it isn't. I've not long come from a meeting with Woolsey and Jennifer. It seems the I.O.A. and Stargate command both agree that we really do need another medical doctor, especially considering how accident prone you are and with more children on base."

"Hey, I resent that. Before my little run of misfortune recently, one of which I might add, was no accident. I'd had a clear run of at least a couple of years with no major injuries or illnesses." John fell silent for a moment. "But it's great to hear that you guys will be getting a new member. I expect Jennifer is pleased. It will mean she'll have more time to spend with her son. So who's it going to be then?" John thought he had a good idea who Carson really wanted. It seemed his guess wasn't far wrong when Carson's grin grew even bigger. "Let me guess. The lovely Julia Ross."

"Aye, we've just come from asking her and, she said she would love to, providing the I.O.A agrees to it."

"Oh, I'm sure they will," John muttered under his breath. "You really like her don't you?"

Carson went a bit red. "Aye that I do."

"Well, I hope things work out for you as there is nothing nicer than having a loving partner to come home to. It took me years to realise it. Now I do."

Teyla had just entered the infirmary and had heard John's last words as she approached the section his bed was in. Tears prickled her eyes as she thought of how close she had come to losing him, once again. And this time all because of a very vindictive man. Gathering her strength, Teyla put on a smile and approached John's bed.

Their eyes meant and in that instant, John knew she had heard him. "I meant every word of it."

Teyla bent down and hugged him as tightly as she could without hurting his arm or chest. They shared a kiss before Teyla straightened up again as the position was uncomfortable to her growing bulge. She turned to Carson with a smile. "It is very good news about getting a new doctor. Jennifer tells me Julia has accepted?"

Carson beamed. "Aye, she'll make a wonderful addition to our team." Carson looked over at John. "Julia really helped us sort this fella out in the O.R."

"She is a lovely person, and will be a good addition to our Atlantis family." Teyla turned back to John. "I have also just spoken to Mr Woolsey. He said he will be along to see you shortly to talk things over. He has been in contact with the I.O.A."

"Oh, that can't be good."

"Have more faith, John. Mr Woolsey seemed very pleased with the outcome. The one thing he did tell me, we are to have a full-time teacher and child minded, at long last."

"Well about time too."

Just as Carson was about to leave, Rodney came bustling up to John's bed. In his hand he had a weird looking container, which he placed on John's bedside cabinet. "Thought you'd like a present. This is what nearly killed you and would have done if it wasn't for yours truly." He finished pointing to himself.

John was speechless. Carson wasn't. "Are you crazy, ya draft bugger? If I'm right about what's inside that container, then you're bloody out of your mind bringing it to my patient."

Rodney looked slight offended. "Do you think I'd be handling it if there was a risk? I've got the ATA gene too, you know."

"Aye and so have I. And John most certainly has."

By this time, John was totally confused. "What's going on? What's in that thing?"

Knowing he had overreacted a little, Carson began to calm down. Teyla was still throwing daggers at Rodney as she knew darn well what he had in the container. Rodney chose to ignore them both. "In that container is the most fascinating crystal matrix I have ever seen. Mind you, Radek had to handle it. Using our electron microscope, he was able to photograph the complex structure for us to study. Now I understand exactly what happened when it entered your arm."

"Are you trying to tell me inside that container is the mind stealing thing that caused me to lose over two days of conscious thought. Are you sure the damn thing is safe?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"Are you positive?"

Rodney sighed and held up his hands. "Yes, I'm positive! It's being held by a force field within the container." Before John or Carson could say anything else, he quickly continued. "The point is, when it entered your arm it was probably in one piece. Then the crystal must have divided so it could travel within your veins and things." Rodney shuddered as the memory of John on the operating table was still fresh in his mind.

"What makes you think that, Rodney?" asked Carson.

John and Teyla wanted to knew that too as they both looked intently at the scientist. "Because that's the way it's designed by nature. In order to travel within an animal or in this case Sheppard, it had to divide into smaller fragments."

John looked puzzled. "Yeah, ok, but why? What was the purpose of doing that?" He quickly added before McKay could say anything.

"Why do viruses or bacteria enter the body to cause illness and possible death of the victim? This crystal acted much the same."

"Oh bloody hell. You're trying to say it acted very much like the virus that gave us the stomach bug."

"No, Carson. I'm just saying it divided from a larger fragment in order to rob Sheppard of his mind."

John shuddered. "A mind robbing virus-like crystal that's kind of scary. Makes you wonder what we'll find next?"

"Well, whatever, you can guarantee you'll be the one to find it, Sheppard."

Teyla was back to throwing daggers at Rodney and Carson groaned as John spoke up. "Gee thanks a lot for that vote of confidence, McKay."

oOo

The Daedalus arrived three days later, right on schedule. The Apollo hadn't needed their assistance after all. So after a quick restock, the ship had immediately headed back to Pegasus. Her arrival coincided with John's release, although the Daedalus wouldn't be staying for long as Caldwell was anxious to get Trumble, Selkirk and Finnegan back to Earth, as quickly as possible.

As John had promised him, Corporal Carpenter would be staying on Atlantis. Apart from witnessing Trumble's action in the cavern, Carpenter wouldn't be implicated in the diamond business. Stargate Command didn't have to know he went along with the geologists and Trumble when they collected the stones. Young Selkirk would receive the medical care he needed back on Earth and hopefully make a full recovery. It was doubtful if he'd ever return to Atlantis, yet alone still serve in the Marines. As for Finnegan, he would be charged with violating the Stargate directive, but would probably only receive a warning. After all, they couldn't go public with it.

As for Trumble, he would be charged with attempted murder. Although because of his unstable mind, just as John thought he would probably only end up in care. He also couldn't be put on trial in a military court. Doctor Robinson had been most concerned about his behaviour since being in the custody. He had ranted and raged for hours about the injustice of it all. He had threatened to expose the Stargate program to everyone on Earth once he got home. He stated that by doing so he could ruin Sheppard and anyone who collaborated with him. In his sick mind that probably included everyone who worked for the secret program. That threat alone would probably get him locked away in a maximum security facility for the rest of life.

His rants had gotten so bad that in the end, Doctor Robinson had been forced to sedate him so he wouldn't give himself a stroke. At the time, Rodney had muttered more the pity and John had kind of agreed with him, but he couldn't voice that because after all the man was still a General. At least for the moment.

A couple of days later, the Daedalus was finally ready to leave. John wanted to see her departure, so Ronon wheeled him out to the East pier along with Teyla and the children. Rodney and Carson with his new love Julia Ross also came with them. As the ship slowly lifted, their loud sigh of relief was probably heard as far as the control room.

Now things could finally get back to normal. As for Teyla and John, they had a wedding to plan.

TBC

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 _A/N Not quite the end yet. Epilogue to come on a much lighter note. Thank you so much again for all your support and reviews, and for the guest reviews which I can't answer. Kellielee robins thank you for spending Sunday and today reading my story. Hope your cat didn't mind and you remembered to feed it. Won't want to be responsible for kitty's hunger. Hopefully I will get the last bit posted soon._


	37. Chapter 37

A/N _Okay I made the epilogue so long I'm having to post it in two parts. Second bit should be posted in the next day or two. Enjoy._

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Deadly Intent

Epilogue Part 1

John shuffled his feet nervously as he waited under a richly polished, wooden replica of a Stargate. Flowers and colourful ribbons fluttered above his head as part of the decorations adorning the facsimile that Athosian craftsmen had so painstakingly carved. It was meant to signify the unity between his and Teyla's worlds since their first contact on Athos, over eight (Earth) years ago now. Years filled with memories, some good and some best forgotten. Memories of joyous times and of sorrow for those lost. And finally, it also signified the welcome the Athosian people had always given those from Earth in their united front in the fight against the Wraith and other adversaries. It was a friendship that still prevailed despite everything that had happened over the years, including the dreadful matter surrounding Michael and the loss of so many Athosians because of his cruel actions. However, life went on and today John's hopes and dreams would finally become a reality as he pledged his commitment to the woman he had loved almost from their first meeting on Athos.

He moved his feet again trying to get comfortable as they still ached a little from time to time, especially in the dress shoes he had been forced to wear today. The injuries he'd sustained in the cave had healed well enough, even though the process had caused him pain and discomfort at times. Now five weeks later, he no longer needed a wheelchair or even a stick to get around. They had offered him a chair, but John refused to sit as he wanted to be standing up to greet his bride when she came to stand opposite him on the other side of the mock Stargate. He knew the symbolism also had something to do with their unusual relationship. Normally, the union ceremony wouldn't have taken place under such an elaborate structure. Teyla had said that most times the ceremony was held either under the open sky on a good day or in a specially decorated tent according to the couple's wishes. John had thought the mock Stargate to be most appropriate for them.

John turned his head to spare a glance at the people surrounding him. The seated guests were talking quietly amongst themselves as they waited. Turning back, he tugged at the collar of his uniform jacket as it caused an irritating itch where it rubbed against his neck. Unlike Rodney's wedding, Teyla had insisted that he wear his full dress uniform. She was proud of him she had said. Proud of his achievements, of his high rank as full bird Colonel in Earth's military structure and the respectable man that he was. Upon hearing her words he had reluctantly relented.

The military guests either from Earth or Atlantis also wore their uniforms, but today they were slightly outnumbered by the civilians and Athosians in their brightly coloured festive attire.

John had been shocked and deeply moved when both General O'Neill and Colonel Carter had arrived on the George Hammond when she landed two days ago. 'Wouldn't miss this wedding for anything,' the retired General had stated. The Daedalus had arrived at the same time, at least a week ahead of schedule. It seemed even Colonel Caldwell had expressed his desire to attend along with several crew members. Thankfully the Athosians had been very accommodating. 'What are a few more mouths to feed,' they had stated. Despite their reassurance, Mr Woolsey had also offered the service of some Atlantis personnel to help with the catering and some provisions from Earth. So there would be champagne for the adults and chocolate ice cream for the kids.

However, it was the few people standing near John that truly warmed his heart. His good friends and teammates Ronon, Rodney, Carson, Radek and his loyal XO Evan Lorne. Then there was his brother Dave, another surprise courtesy of General O'Neill. Dave already knew all about the Stargate program after an incident on Earth that had left John seriously injured while trying to protect some hostages during a bank heist. John had put in a request for his brother to attend, but the I.O.A. had turned him down. Obviously, General O'Neill still had plenty of influence and had overruled their decision, meaning Dave had been free to travel with them on the Hammond. John still smiled when he thought of his brother's reaction to travelling on a spaceship and being in another Galaxy. According to Sam Carter, he had been so overwhelmed by the sight of Earth from orbit and then their jump into hyperspace that he hadn't moved for a good hour or so. And even though Dave had already seen Atlantis while she was on Earth, it had still awed his brother speechless when he saw the magnificent city once again.

Catching his brother's eye, John exchanged a smile with him. They had come a long way in the last few years and now, all fences were now definitely mended. Dave had been informed about Trumble's accusations and had investigated the claim. It turned out that Trumble's father had indeed lost most of his capital on a bad stock deal, although he had never bought shares in Sheppard Utilities. One deal had been on an insurance company and another on an energy concern, both of which had collapsed shortly after. Meaning either Trumble's father had lied or the ex-general had made it all up as an excuse to get at John.

As for Trumble, he had calmed down somewhat by the time the Daedalus had returned to Earth. It was to prove to be the quiet before the storm as the first thing he had done was to try and leak sensitive information to the press via telephone. Of course, he got no further other than the Homeworld Security people who were in charge of monitoring all outgoing calls from the SGC. He had then tried to pass on the information to his legal representative who knew nothing about the Stargate program. To the perfectly sane lawyer, it had just confirmed that the General was indeed mentally ill. Of course, the lawyer would never be given the full details of the charges against his client. After private talks with the high command, the General was stripped of his rank and incarcerated in a mental institute for his attempted murder bid. From all accounts, his condition had deteriorated dramatically after that. It looked like the man would never be released into society again, which suited John just fine. As for the corrupt I.O.A. members, they had resigned without a fuss. No one had been too unhappy to see Shen Xiaoyi finally go after years of being on the committee and the Russians had been quick to remove their member. Investigations were still ongoing in Washington concerning the corrupt Senator and the leaked information. These things took time and were difficult to prove.

The singing began and John turned his attention back to the mock Stargate. His heart began to quicken as he caught sight of his beautiful bride as she began to walk across the open ground towards him. A smile lit his face as he watched his two children walking with her. Although not an Athosian tradition, some of the ladies back on Atlantis had told Beth about flower girls. Immediately, she had wanted to do it for her momma. Then Torren wanted to do it, too but opted to be a pageboy when told about them. So there they were, Torren leading his mother by her hand and Beth scattering flowers along as they went.

John was left mesmerised as Teyla looked truly beautiful in a dress of flowing gold and cream. The Athosian women had gathered together to make a dress that would have caused any Hollywood starlet to be green with envy. At nearly thirty weeks pregnant, Teyla now had a significant bulge. Her dress had not been tailored to hide the fact as Athosians believed one should be proud to be carrying the next generation. The tight bodice of gold coloured material fitted her figure perfectly as the neckline was neither too high nor too low. The lower part of the dress flowed to the ground in a cascade of silky, cream coloured cloth that was intertwined with fine gold threading. The whole dress emphasized her dark skin and golden hair, which fell loosely over her shoulders. To finish off her outfit, Teyla wore the necklace John had given her two years ago. It shone brightly in the afternoon sun showing off its fine craftsmanship and the true beauty of the Dalenian gem.

Mystery still surrounded the pendant as it seemed to have the properties of a talisman. Not that John really believed in that sort of thing, but Teyla had worn the necklace when she had been away on diplomatic missions. Several of which had gone quite badly nearly causing her bodily harm. She had reported some very close encounters and yet she had come away from them totally unscathed. Despite knowing that Teyla was very good in self-defence, John wondered about that. He had eventually confessed about pendant having maybe saved him from Morina's bullet during the raid to stop the child traffickers. That admission had caused quite a heated discussion at the time as Teyla had been upset that he hadn't mentioned it before. She had wanted him to wear it on away missions, but John had flatly refused, stating that it was hers and hers alone. Maybe he should have taken her advice into consideration for his last true away mission and then Trumble's rescue. It could have saved him a lot of pain and agro. When he had the time, John had every intention of going to see the Dalenian monks to ask them about the pendant.

Right now though, John nearly forgot to breathe as Teyla glided towards him to stand just out of reach on the other side of the wooden Stargate. He looked at her and smiled not believing his good fortune before turning his attention to his children as they sat themselves down on two seats provided just a little way from their parents. It amazed him how well behaved they were for their age. He winked at his daughter and smiled at Torren before turning back to face his bride.

Teyla looked up at him so handsome and now back to full health. How she loved this man. Her mind drifted for a minute as she thought over the years she had known him. Through all kinds of danger, laughter and commitment to the team. How for many years she had believed they would never be together because of denial and possible rejection. The attraction had been there from the beginning, yet they had never acted on it. In the end, she had turned to Kanaan believing him to be the right choice. Yet those few years with him had never held the passion and love she now felt for John. She wondered how things would have been if Kanaan hadn't been killed that fateful day nearly three years past. _Would she have remained with him while loving another?_ The answer was clear to her now. As she had told John at the beginning of their relationship, she would have left Kanaan eventually as she had not loved him enough to undertake the union of commitment.

Teyla's thoughts returned to the present as Halling moved to stand near them. The main ceremony would be Athosian. Mr Woolsey stood a little to the side near to John to act as a witness to legalise the marriage for Earth.

As the ceremony began, Halling's voice rang loud and clear. Loud enough for all to hear as he started to say the words of union, words not unlike those of Earth as they spoke of commitment and everlasting love. Then it was John's turn to pledge his love for Teyla and his commitment to keeping her and the children safe. He was nervous, but thankfully, his words managed to flow without too much hesitation or awkwardness. Then Teyla said hers with a little more finesse.

Finally, Halling told them to meet under the mock Stargate and exchange rings. Although once again not normally an Athosian custom, Teyla liked the idea and thought they should have something from Earth. Then they joined hands and Halling bound their wrists together with a beautifully embroidered soft golden band.

His voice boomed out. "Let no one come between them for a union of commitment is for life until death does them part."

Although their hands were still tied, John leant down and gently placed his lips upon Teyla's. They kissed and the crowd went wild with cheering and clapping as Halling finally untied their wrists and gave them a bear hug.

Woolsey patiently stood by until Halling had finished, then he gave Teyla a warm hug and John a hearty handshake. "Congratulations to you both. Now I need you to sign the marriage license in front of your chosen witnesses and myself. Doctor McKay, Ronon Dex and Lieutenant Becket if you would kindly step forward please."

Rodney, Ronon and James joined them at the small table set up for the purpose. For once, Rodney made no comment as he added his signature to theirs, only too pleased that his friends had found true happiness at last. Just like he had with Jennifer who was standing nearby, he turned to her with a smile.

After everyone had signed, the guests were free to come forward and offer their congratulations before the celebrations could begin. It would be a truly informal party with tables laden with food, ruus wine, and champagne. There would be music, singing and dancing in a celebration of union and life together. Far less formal than John's first wedding reception with Nancy, which meant he could soon shed his uniform and slip into something more comfortable.

The first to approach them was John's brother. Dave threw his arms around Teyla and heartily welcomed her to the Sheppard family before grabbing his brother in a bear hug. "Dad would have been so proud, John," he whispered so that only the couple could hear him.

Teyla smiled her thanks as John replied. "I just wish he was here and we could make amends."

"Yes that would have been nice. Well I'd better let others come forward. We'll talk later." With that Dave moved on and allowing Carter and Jack O'Neill to come forward to offer their congratulations.

oOo

Hours later, the party finally began to wind down as John and Teyla quietly said their goodnight to all those remaining. It was late and many had already gated back to Atlantis or retired to their tents for the night. The children were a long time in bed, totally exhausted from hours of play and dancing. A few night birds like Ronon and Amelia might stay and party a little longer, but John was more than ready to call it a night.

A tent had been set aside for them, well away from the others. It had been decorated with flowers and ribbons, and messages of goodwill. Before entering, John took Teyla by surprise as he swept her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold.

"An Earth tradition," he murmured before putting her down. "Well, Mrs Sheppard, although you look truly beautiful in that dress, let's get you out of it," he winked.

Teyla wasn't usually the type to giggle, but for some reason she did. It certainly wasn't due to too much ruus wine because she had only taken a sip when General O'Neill had given a toast to their happiness. She was tired, but not that tired. She stood on tiptoes and kissed him. "Please do."

oOo

John held her in his arms as she slept. The love of his life, for an Athosian union just was just that – for life. There was no going back. Divorces were unheard of, that was why the union ceremony took time and was something one had to be totally sure about before making the commitment. John was very sure because the last few years had been the happiest, most settled in his entire life. All because of Teyla and the children. Gone were the uncertainties, the torment and guilt and yes, the loneliness. For now, he had a family to love and cherish.

As for his job, he now knew for sure that he couldn't take a back seat, at least not just yet. Teyla had understood. She knew he wasn't to type to stand by and watch as others took risks. There was still too much work to be done to make the galaxy a safer place and ensure that Earth remained untouched by any threat from Pegasus. Indeed a safer place for his children, the one to come and for all those dear to him. Although painstakingly slow, Jennifer's work on the gene therapy to enable the Wraith to eat normal food was progressing well, but even if it worked this time around, they still needed to convince Todd and the Wraith to take it again. That could be an almost impossible task. Whatever the future held, John just had to make sure he stayed in one piece for his family's sake.

He yawned and caught the strong scent of Shari flowers in the air. They brought back a fond memory. Although he had nearly lost his life on that occasion, the flowers had not only saved him, but he caused him to finally confess his love for the woman by his side.

A broad smile adorned his face as he began to drift into the welcome arms of sleep.

TBC


	38. Chapter 38

_A/N This is the second half of the epilogue. I had intended to post the story just before Christmas but RL got in the way._

* * *

Epilogue Part 2

Atlantis Base two months later.

John watched from the control room balcony as a team came through the Gate pulling a cart that held an eight-foot fir tree. Collecting a tree was an annual event ever since Elizabeth Weir had given her approval stating that they should celebrate the festive season as if they were on Earth and not a galaxy away. The tradition had continued even after Elizabeth had been lost to them. They had found a planet where evergreens grew much like the ones used on Earth. Not that it had been difficult with all the wooded planets in Pegasus. The botany department had been very careful in their selection, only taking trees that would never thrive for very long in their natural environment. Naturally, they didn't take any old spindly thing. In fact, John noted the one they had found this year could easily pass as a noble fir from any reputable tree farm.

With Christmas Eve just four days away now it was time to decorate the tree for the annual party which would be held in two days time. And even though not all expedition members were Christians, no one minded and everyone usually joined in the festivities in some form or other. It was a darn good excuse to let their hair down and celebrate another year of survival.

Of course, it was a special time for children and with their help, John had already assembled the fake tree that adorned their living quarters. Brought from Earth a couple of years ago it was now covered in lights, glass baubles and child made decorations. It stood in one corner making the area seem far more homely somehow. The kids loved it and the little family would celebrate with gifts on Christmas morning. No crisis permitting.

"A penny for your thoughts, Colonel," Woolsey asked as he came to stand beside him.

John turned to him with a smile. "I was just thinking about how quickly time goes. It really doesn't seem like a year ago since they bought the last tree in."

"Yes, I know what you mean. Time certainly flies. This year has certainly been full of ups and downs, hasn't it?"

John grinned. "Yeah. Thankfully the up times were most pleasant."

"Indeed they were. I suppose we should be thankful it's been relatively quiet for a while. Apart from our unwanted visitor, there hasn't been too much trouble from the Wraith."

"I'm just wondering why. What are they up to? Or are the reports of their supposed hibernation really true? And come to that where's Todd. He hasn't shown his face in months."

"No, he hasn't." Richard looked sceptical. "Well, we do know that they hibernate for long periods at a time, so there is a chance they may have given up trying to get to Earth."

"We can only hope so. Although, I guess it would be just a temporary reprieve because when they wake again they're going to be hungrier than ever. If that crazy Wraith we encountered on the crystal planet is anything to go by then that would be a very dangerous situation."

Richard scowled and rubbed his forehead. "Yes, indeed it would be. We can only hope by then Dr Keller and her team will have developed an improved version of the gene therapy allowing them to eat normal food."

"I'm not holding my breath on that one. If it did work that would be fantastic. It would certainly make the children's further whole lot safer." _At least from a Wraith threat,_ John thought.

Richard nodded his head. Then changing the subject, he stated. "Talking about the crystal planet, I've just received a report from the geology department. It seems we've hit on a really useful find."

John looked a bit perplexed. "I thought the planet was off limits?"

"That valley most definitely is. However after the report filed by Lieutenant Montero, I decided to allow a small team to investigate the chasm you fell down and the strange mineral walls that slowed your descent."

"Why didn't I know anything about it?" John asked, trying not to sound too angry.

Richard sighed. "At the time you were on an away mission. A report was left for you to read. So I assumed you had read it."

"Oops…how long ago was it?"

"Over two months now. It's taken them that long to analyse and test the mineral."

"Right, I guess the report was probably flagged under scientific, whatever, and I didn't consider it important."

Richard slowly smiled. "That's what Colonel Lorne is on base for. He knew all about the mission and organised the protection."

"Yeah well, maybe in future I should read all the reports. Anyway what did they find?"

This time Richard's face practically lit up as he answered, "A Holy Grail for the science world. Turns out the mineral could have some very useful applications in developing better antigravity systems and the like. Apparently it has some remarkable properties that even the Ancients didn't discover."

John looked impressed. "I'm surprised McKay hasn't said anything yet."

"Oh, I'm sure he will once the team send their report to him. He'll probably bore us the death with the details. Anyway, we're sending more of the mineral back to Earth to be developed further in Area 51."

"Right so that means another trip back to the cave?"

Richard shook his head. "Not yet because they collected enough the first time around to be going on with. Oh and the geologists were thinking up a name for it."

"Really? They should call it after Dr Stein." John pondered for a moment. "On the other hand his name already means stone in German."

"No they weren't thinking along those lines. Several of them said it should be named after the first person to encounter it, so they suggested Sheppardite or Sheptine."

John nearly spluttered. "You've got to be kidding me?"

Richard looked deadly serious when he answered. "Not at all."

John just rolled his eyes. "Right. I guess we'll be hearing more about it sometime in the future, no doubt."

"I'm sure we will." Richard answered and then changing the subject completely, he asked. "How's Teyla? I haven't seen her around for a few days?"

"Getting really big." John didn't say anymore and Richard could see how apprehensive the Colonel looked.

"I'm sure she'll be fine when the time comes."

Despite Richard's reassurance, John couldn't help being nervous. Although he shouldn't be because compared to what she went through with Torren, this birth should be safe and comfortable for her. It was just him being overly sensitive. His own wellbeing never concerned him but when it came to his family and friends that was a completely different kettle of fish. It worried him sick. "Yeah, it's just that…well, she still has a week to go but Jennifer says she may have to be induced if Teyla goes past the due date as the baby's already getting quite big. Teyla's not happy about that because she believes in a totally natural birth. Meaning, the baby will come when he wants to. For her own safety, I hope she listens to Jennifer or Julia."

Richard really didn't have a clue about these things. "Yes, that would be wise. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that Teyla is in good hands."

"Yeah, they're the best. I guess I'm worrying about nothing but you know…"

Richard simply nodded. "Dr Ross has fitted in very well, hasn't she? I have never seen Dr Beckett return to Atlantis as often as he has done these last few months."

John rolled his eyes at that. "Totally in love. I'm surprised he even went back out into the field."

"He loves his work with the natives. However, if it got really serious between them then he may want to come back to us permanently.

"Yeah, that could well be."

"Right, Colonel, I'd better get back to my work. I understand some of you are getting together in the recreation room this evening for some carolling?"

John looked at his boss somewhat surprised. "You didn't know about it?"

"Chuck told me this morning. I know Dr Robinson is organizing it as usual. I guess she never thought to inform me because I was always been too busy to attend in previous years."

"Well, you're more than welcome to join us if you have the time." John chewed his lip out of habit before adding. "Teyla still insists on singing the traditional Christmas song she learnt some years back."

"She has a beautiful singing voice. Which song is that?"

"O Christmas Tree." John suddenly sober and looked away. "Dr Stein tried to teach her the German lyrics last year."

Richard slowly nodded. "Did she master them?"

John thought about it for a moment. "No, not really, the time was just too short. When she sings it later, she wants it to be a tribute to him as well as being well…very Christmassy and our tree should be up by then."

"Then I will certainly make an effort to attend this year as I would love to hear her."

oOo

The little get together was already in full swing by the time Richard arrived at 19.00 hours. The loud rendering of 'Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer' echoed around the room as everyone seemed to be joining in. It warmed Richard's heart to see his people relaxed and getting into the Christmas spirit.

Because of the limited space, not everyone was here tonight, although there still seemed to be at least sixty people scattered around the room. A musically gifted amateur band made up of various expedition members were gathered around the beautifully decorated tree while others either sat or stood singing. Richard looked around for a place to sit and noted that Torren and Beth were currently standing with their father next to Teyla, who was sitting of course. Jennifer and Rodney holding Peter were also sitting near them. The baby certainly seemed to be enjoying the music as he bobbed up and down on his father's lap. Not far from them was a vacant chair, so Richard quietly slipped into it.

The song came to an end and Claire Robinson stepped forward to announce. "Alright everyone that was great. We'll sing 'Jingle Bells' next followed by Teyla's wonderful solo performance."

As the musicians started to play again, John squeezed Teyla's shoulder. She seemed tense for some reason. He didn't think it was nerves as she had done this before. He bent down and whispered. "Are you okay?" She gave a quick nod.

The song was soon over and she eased herself out of the chair. John looked at her worriedly, but she gave him another reassuring nod before moving to stand near the tree. Somebody indicated that she should sit. She shook her head as it was better to be standing when singing.

"This year I sing this song in memory of Doctor Dieter Stein. He told me the song is a traditional one from his country." There was a scattering of approval. Teyla nodded to the band and began to sing the lovely Christmas tune surprising everyone when she mingled in some of the German lyrics. Nearing at the end, Teyla suddenly stopped and gasped, feeling a trickle of wetness run down her legs.

Before she could say anything a little high pitched little voice piped up. "Oh look, Momma has wet herself."

There were chortles and smiles at the innocence of the child, even though John felt like disappearing with the kids for Teyla's sake. Then the significance of it suddenly hit him and he felt like panicking instead.

Thankfully Jennifer was all business and she quickly got up to go over to Teyla. "Have you any pains yet?"

"I have had slight twinges for a few hours but I thought it was just the practice run."

"Yes, the Braxton Hicks contractions. Understandable, but now we need to get you to the infirmary just to see if you are in early labour yet. Don't worry Teyla I know it's a little early but everything will be fine." Teyla nodded as Jennifer smiled remembering Torren's comment. "Obviously your waters have broken and you didn't really wet yourself."

Teyla had never felt so embarrassed in all her life. She lightly hit her friend's arm. "I can assure you it is amniotic fluid."

"I know. Although it doesn't mean you're in labour yet that's why I want to examine you." Jennifer looked over to their menfolk. She'd never seen John Sheppard look quite so anxious even when facing Todd. "I think you have a panicking husband, so we'd better go and reassure him."

They moved over while someone was kind enough to mop up the small puddle. After explaining things to Teyla's family, Jennifer instructed them to stay and enjoy the rest of the sing-song. John watched them go trying not to be concerned. Easier said than done. He settled on Teyla's vacant chair with the kids on his knee and tried to join in as they began to sing, 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas.'

As the evening wore on John kept looking at his watch. Teyla and Jennifer had failed to return, so now he couldn't wait for the evening to be over. Teyla could really be in labour and all he wanted to do was go to the infirmary to check.

Rodney watched him and as the last song ended he commented. "Calm down, will you. You're worse than I was."

John scowled at him. "Never."

At that point, Doctor Robinson thanked everyone for coming and people began to disperse as the get-together was now over.

John quickly stood wondering what he was going to do with the kids. Rodney had Peter to put to bed, and Ronon and Amelia were off-world at the moment so he could call on them. On the other hand, Rodney owned him one. "Rodney, I really need to get to the infirmary. Could you look after the kids for a while?"

"Oh, stop panicking. It takes ages before junior arrives."

"It's not her first, Rodney, he could be quicker."

Rodney thought about it for a minute. "Yeah maybe. How should I know?

Beth tugged on her father's sleeve. "Where's momma?"

"That's what I want to find out, sweetheart, but your uncle here is being stubborn. I want to go and see your mom as she must still be with Aunty Jennifer in the infirmary."

"Oh all right, the kids can stay with me."

A voice suddenly spoke up behind them. "I'll look after them, Colonel. After all that's what I came to Atlantis for."

John turned to look at the new teacher Ms Kyle. "I know but it's your evening off and I."

"I really don't mind and I'll put them to bed if necessary. You won't mind that will you, children?"

Torren looked up at his father and asked. "Where will you and Momma be, daddy?" Beth looked like she wanted to know that, too.

"I'll be with your mom as it could be your new brother wants to join us for Christmas. That will be nice won't it?"

Torren looked excited but Beth didn't look so sure.

Ms Kyle took matters in hand as she could see the Colonel was anxious to leave. "Come on children let's get you home and ready for bed."

John nodded. "I'll come by and say goodnight before you go to sleep. Okay."

The children seemed unsure, but they allowed their teacher to lead them out of the room.

"Right, I'd better get Peter to bed," Rodney muttered. "Keep us informed and don't worry so much, everything will be ok. It was all fine last time and she had to put up with me."

John nearly laughed at that. "Yeah, I certainly feel a lot happier that it's your wife in attendance this time around."

oOo

"Good, I was just about to call you, John," Jennifer informed him as he entered the infirmary. She patted him on the shoulder. "She was further along in labour than we thought. Lucky for Teyla, she hardly had any real pain up until about thirty minutes ago. Now the labour is now in full swing and she's already five centimetres."

"Okay. So…err…when is junior likely to put in an appearance?"

Jennifer smiled and tried to reassure him. "The way things are progressing, I would say within the next five hours or so. Teyla seems to be coping just fine, although I'm sure she would like you to be with her."

"Yeah. I just have to go and say goodnight to the kids and then I'll be right back."

Jennifer nodded. "Alright, you do that. Has Rodney put Peter to bed yet?"

"I pretty sure he has by now as he left the entertainment room at the same time I did." With that John quickly left the infirmary. Part of him wanted to panic and run as far away as possible, but he knew that was stupid thinking. Teyla needed him and he wanted to see his son born. He firmly told himself to stop being a coward. If Rodney could cope with not only Torren's birth but his own son, then so could he.

Twenty minutes later, he was back in the infirmary and feeling a lot more positive. Entering Teyla's room he found her in the throes of a strong contraction. She'd obviously been moving about but now she was bent over with the pain, panting heavily. John forgot his apprehension and quickly went over to her. "Looks like Marc Patrick, wants to join us for Christmas."

The contraction passed off and Teyla straightened up. "So it would seem."

"You still agree on those names. I mean, you really don't want him to have an Athosian name?"

"We have been through this before, John. I am quite happy that he will have the names of the maternal grandfather you loved so much and your father's. Even though you had your differences, I still believed you loved him deep down." John nodded as Teyla carried on speaking. "I cannot even remember my grandfathers as they were taken before I was born. And Torren already carries the name of my father, so I am content that our son will have your family's names."

John felt water fill his eyes as he kissed her. "I love you so much," he murmured taking her hand.

Five hours later, John was beginning to think his son would never arrive. Teyla was now having strong regular contractions and Jennifer was in attendance with a nurse as she said the birth was imminent.

Some ten minutes later, Teyla squeezed his hand so tightly that even John winced. Then Jennifer instructed her to push. As she strained, John felt so bad and wished he could do it for her. As the contraction passed, Jennifer looked up at them and smiled. "I can see his head so he'll be with us after the next contraction."

John gulped hard. He moved at little so he could glance down and watch his son being born as another contraction began to hit Teyla. She gave one final effort and Jennifer lifted the baby clear. He gave a healthy cry as the doctor placed him on his mother's chest. There were tears of joy in everyone's eyes as the little one drew comfort from his mother's warmth.

Jennifer instructed John to cut the umbilical cord as that was something he'd wanted to do. Afterwards Teyla looked up at the man she loved and smiled. She had never seen him so overwhelmed with joy before. Wiping away the wetness in his eyes, he bent down and kissed her softly and simply said. "Thank you." Teyla felt overwhelmed herself and clutched his hand tightly as a nurse took their son away to be weighed and checked.

The rest of the time went in a blur. Jennifer came by a little later to announce that baby Sheppard was in perfect health and weighed eight pounds, two ounces despite being a week early. So all was well and now Teyla could finally get some well-earned rest.

John eventually left her to go back to their quarters with a promise that he would be around again later in the morning. And if it was okay he would bring the children to see their new brother after lunch.

Later that morning and after a wonderful six hours sleep, Teyla relaxed back into her bathwater. It was amazing how it made her feel so much more alive. John had been to see her before her bath time. They had spent some time admiring their son and just talking quietly. Carson and Julia had been for a short visit during that time as they had been anxious to meet the new arrival and see if Teyla was feeling alright. She had told them she was feeling fine. Apart from the two doctors other people had stayed away for now but Teyla was sure the visitors would start to come quick enough, especially those close to her like Ronon, Amelia and Rodney. However, the first visitors she really wanted to see were her children. John still planned to bring them by after lunch so Teyla still had a good hour to relax and pamper herself before then.

By early afternoon Teyla was ready to greet her family. Baby Marc was tucked up in his crib fast asleep as Beth and Torren peered in at him.

"Oh, he's not so squiggly now," Beth announced loudly. That's what she had been afraid of.

Baby Marc didn't like the loud noise and he began to grizzle. John gently reached into the crib to lift his son out. He held him against his chest while Beth and Torren tenderly stroked their brother to calm him.

A few minutes later, Jennifer and Rodney came to visit. The latter was carrying a bunch of flowers in one hand and his son in the hand. He took one look at baby Marc, whose mop of dark hair was currently sticking up all over the place. "Oh my god, he's certainly your kid, Sheppard!"

Everyone quietly laughed at the peeved look on John's face as he muttered. "Well, gee thanks, McKay." Then he snorted and began to chuckle. Not too loud as to startle the baby. "Yes, he is my kid as are these two," he said ruffling Beth and Torren's hair. "And I'm one lucky guy."

The End

* * *

 _Well that's the longest story I have ever written. Hope everyone enjoyed it and if you liked it please review. Thanks once again for all the welcome reviews, followers and people who favoured it over the last couple of months. I can't promise if I will write anything again in future but I'm happy to see the interest is still there. Even after so many years I still consider Stargate Atlantis as one of the best._


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